All These Things That I've Done
by Gemmi92
Summary: "You lied to protect him, Olivia. I rotted in a jail cell because of what he had done and all that time you knew what he was," Jim's voice continued to rise, the anger apparent in his tone. His sister simply stood on the spot. "I'm sorry," she whispered. But Jim shook his head. "You chose him over me. He's poisoned you...ruined you...I don't even know who you are anymore." Nygma/OC
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

She could hardly hear anything. Every time she tried to hone into a noise, she wanted to block it out. There was nothing but loud high-pitched squeals and people shouting out. She could only make out vague statements, but words like 'lost a lot of blood' and 'liver failure' didn't exactly fill her with confidence. It made her not want to open her eyes. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to know what was happening. Instead she felt a sense of peace. Before she had blacked out there had been nothing but pain, but now she was in her own mind. She was in her own mind and it was quiet. No one was hurting her.

"Olivia!"

She recognised the man's voice instantly. She knew who was calling out to her. She wanted to open her eyes then. She wanted to tell him that she was fine and she would always be fine. But there was nothing. She could say nothing to him. Instead she could only listen as he spoke, his voice sharp and full of pain.

"Sir, we need you to stay back."

"I'm her brother," he responded. "I'm with the GCPD. Tell me what happened to her."

"She was in a car crash," the voice responded. "She's lost a lot of blood and we suspect there are multiple organ failures. We need to get her into surgery sooner rather than later."

"A car crash?" he echoed, fear clear in his voice. "What…she…"

"We don't know anything else, Detective," the woman responded to him. "Please, we need to get her into surgery."

She didn't hear him complain. In fact, she didn't hear anything much after that. Noises seemed to die down in her ears and then there was nothing but blackness. Perhaps this was the end? Perhaps this was how she ended? Her mind went back to _him_ for another moment, contemplating what he was doing. Did he know what had happened? Would he even grieve for her? Would he even care? She had told him that she had moved on. She had told him that she wanted nothing to do with him.

That had been before she had kissed him. It was before she had ran to him because she had nowhere else to go. But then she had told him that it had been a mistake and she had left. She had gone because she knew it had been foolish to go to him. Their final conversation had just been an argument. It had been yelling. It had been accusations. Perhaps that had been for the best. Perhaps this way he wouldn't grieve like he might have done at one time. Then again, she didn't really know who Edward Nygma was anymore.

…

Jim Gordon hated waiting. Patience had proved not be a strong point of his and recently it had been lacking significantly. He had driven everyone he loved away. First it had been Lee and then it had been Olivia. He should never have blamed her for what had happened to him. The fact that he had spent time behind bars had been nothing to do with her. She didn't know. Deep down he knew that, but he still took his anger out on her.

"Hey."

Looking up from the floor, Jim let his gaze move over to the voice that had spoken. Rising to his feet, Jim dropped his hands to his hips and nodded; uncertain of what more he should say to her.

"Hey," was all that he could respond with.

"Harvey told me that had happened," she said. "I didn't know whether to come down here or stay away, but then…well…"

"It's fine," Jim said with a nod. "It's fine that you're here, Lee."

Lee raked a hand through her dark hair and stepped further into the empty waiting room. The space was bland and beige, uncomfortable leather seats running around the edge of the room. There was a coffee machine by the door and in the middle there was a large brown coffee table covered with magazines. Lee doubted anyone read them while they were trapped in that room.

"What happened, Jim?" Lee wondered, tugging at the gloves she wore on her fingertips before sitting down in a chair, Jim taking a seat next to her. "What happened to her?"

"She was in a car crash," Jim said. "I don't know what else happened. I have asked Harvey to send some officers down to investigate. She…they said she was found driving away from Penguin's mansion. She had been to see him. I know she had."

"Nygma?" Lee questioned. "Why would she go and see him?"

"Because…because…" Jim trailed off, uncertain if he could say anything else. He had been so angry when he found out. He had wanted to do nothing more than yell at her and ask her how she had been so foolish, but then she had told him that she regretted everything. She regretted involving herself in the mess.

"Jim, your sister hasn't been the same for a long time," Lee spoke. "What happened to her? What went on?"

"Lee," Jim sighed her name, "I know you care for her. I know you love her…but she…I don't want that to change. I don't want you to think any differently of her. I don't think she could handle it if you did."

"I will never turn against her," Lee said, clasping her fingers together and leaning forwards, her body turned to the side as she looked to him. "What could she have done that was so bad?"

"She knew," Jim spat out. "She told me that she knew what he had done. He had called her…asked her to help him…she knew what he had done to Officer Dougherty and Kristen Kringle and she didn't tell me. She protected his secret. She protected him. That's why she hasn't been herself. That's why she was with him. I found out the truth the other night and we…we argued…I yelled at her and said some pretty horrible things."

Lee didn't know what to say to that. She felt her mouth go slack, her eyes closing as she let her head droop. Jim nodded, brows arching on his forehead as he saw her reaction. It was a mixture of disappointment and upset. Jim had felt that at one stage, but inherently he had felt rage with her. He had felt rage that she hadn't told him the truth, that she could lie for a man like Nygma.

"She knew about Kristen?" Lee checked.

"She knew," Gordon responded. "She knew everything."

"She shouldn't be messed up in this, Jim," Lee said. "She should have left Gotham when she had a chance. She should have gone for a fresh start."

"I know that," Jim said. "I should have made her go."

Jim tugged his tie down his shirt, undoing his top button. He heard Lee begin to speak again, but he didn't listen. Instead he was too busy looking at the man who had just appeared in the corridor outside. Rising to his feet slowly, Jim felt his rage grow inside of him as Lee turned her head over her shoulder to see what Jim was looking at.

"Oh no," Lee whispered and jumped to her feet, but she couldn't stop Jim.

He was too busy storming outside, his feet stomping on the ground. Tugging the door to the waiting room open, Jim stepped into the corridor and moved to the man. Grabbing him by the collar, he knew that he had the physical prowess to beat him into a pummel without a second thought.

"You son of a bitch!" Jim shouted, slamming Nygma up against the wall, his hands still holding the collar of the white shirt he wore under his blue suit jacket. "What was she doing with you? What did you do to her?"

"I did nothing," Nygma said, his voice a snarl. "So I suggest you let me go before I have someone arrest you."

"Arrest me?" Jim snapped. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"I find nothing about this situation mildly amusing so I suggest you put me down," Nygma said.

"Get out of here," Jim said, pushing Edward against the wall but releasing him, his fists by his sides as Lee stood behind his shoulder.

"I am going nowhere until I see her," Edward responded, straightening out the jacket that he wore. "I want to know what happened to her. I want to know exactly what happened."

"She is here because of you," Jim said, his lip turning into a growl. "I know what-"

"-I know," Edward said. "I know that she told you the truth. I know what you said to her."

"This isn't going to help anyone," Lee said, knowing that the two of them were going to continue arguing if someone didn't intervene. "Olivia is in surgery and when she wakes up then she doesn't need to wake up to this, does she?"

"She isn't going to wake up to this," Jim said, "because Edward is leaving."

"Did you not hear what I said the first time?" Edward responded. "I am going nowhere until I see that she has woken up."

"You did this to her!" Jim yelled. "She was on her way back from seeing you. She was on the way back from seeing you and…God…I don't know what she was doing with you, but everything you have done has hurt her. You hurt her and ripped her heart out. You betrayed her. You put her in here!"

"Did you ever think that this might be your fault, _Jim_?" Edward asked, snarling Gordon's name. "That she only came to me because of what you said to her? She told me everything. You were the one who pushed her away. You were the one who sent her back to me."

"And what did you do?" Jim asked from him. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her the truth," Edward said. "I told her that I still loved her. I told her that I would do anything for her. I told her that we could be together if she just let herself be happy."

Jim almost felt his throat clench at hearing that. "She will never love you-"

"-She does," Edward interrupted. "She told me last night that she still loves me. Do you not get it, Jimbo? She will always love me. Why do you think she lied for me? Why do you think she never left Gotham? She never stopped loving me, despite everything, and I never stopped loving her."

Jim held a hand up to silence Nygma. He couldn't listen to anything else. He didn't want to hear anything else. He shook his head and backed away, hands on his hips before he turned away from Edward. Lee looked to Edward, her jaw harsh and her teeth clenched together as she saw him meet her gaze.

"You should leave," she warned him.

"I have no intention of going anywhere."

"You should," Lee said. "If you stay here then eventually you will get kicked out for brawling with Jim and we both know the cops here will take Jim's side."

Nygma said nothing then, uncertain of what he should say. He kept his hands by his side as he saw Jim turn back to glare at him. He knew exactly what was going to happen and Lee might have a point. But Nygma was going nowhere. He was going to stay in that hospital until Olivia was awake.

"I will wait in the cafeteria."

"Fine," Lee snapped and watched the tall, lanky man wander off down the corridor before she turned back to Jim who still glared after him. "Jim, come on, let's go sit down."

She took hold of Jim's arm, dragging him back into the waiting room and forcing him to sit down. She moved to the coffee machine, pouring two cups from the machine and handing one to Jim. He took hold of it, his cheeks still flushed and red from anger. He held the cup in both hands.

"He is going nowhere near her again," Jim said.

"There's only so much we can do, Jim," Lee responded. "You can't keep her away from him when she gets out of this hospital. She has her own mind."

"No," Jim said firmly. "He…he can't get his claws into her again. He can't go anywhere near her. I need to get her away from Gotham and him…somewhere she can make a fresh start…somewhere she can be safe."

"If she chooses to leave Gotham then so be it."

"No, she will never agree to that," Jim said. "I know her. I know how she feels. She won't make that decision."

Lee's brow furrowed. "So you are going to make it for her?" she wondered. "What are you going to do? You can't send her away. Besides, even if you did send her away then Nygma would probably go looking for her. You saw him out there. You saw how he was."

Jim gulped and then shook his head. "He wouldn't know," Jim whispered. "He wouldn't know what happened to her."

Lee tried to comprehend what she was hearing from Jim. It took her a couple of seconds before she shook her head, a look of annoyance on her features as she studied Jim's stoic face. She knew exactly what was going through his mind.

"You can't make that decision for her," Lee seethed. "If she wants to go away…fake her death…then that is her decision. It is not yours to make for her. I won't let you do that, Jim. It's not fair on Olivia."

"No," Jim said sternly. "What isn't fair is Olivia not living her life because of Nygma. I have been with her through everything. I have seen what he has done…how he has killed…how he corrupted her to protect himself…she needs me to step in and make this decision for her future. If she doesn't escape him now then she never will."

Lee remained mute, knowing that Jim was too stubborn to be reasoned with, especially when it came to Olivia. And so she kept silent. Pursing her lips as she sipped on her coffee, she wondered just what was going to happen. Of course, Jim's entire plan rested on one thing: Olivia actually waking up from surgery.

…..

A/N: A new story with a quick prologue. Do let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Entering the GCPD, Olivia Gordon didn't entirely know what to expect. A part of her wondered if Jim was going to fit in as part of the police. He had spent a lot of years in the army and he seemed to have a romanticized notion of what he would do when he returned to Gotham. She doubted he knew how corrupt the city had become since he had left. But this was Jim. He was determined and hot headed. She didn't bother to argue with him. A part of her wondered if he would have been safer in the army than as part of the GCPD.

His first case had been the Wayne murders. Olivia had called ahead, making sure that he was going to be able to get dinner with her that evening considering he was always working late according to Barbara when she called the apartment to talk to him. Olivia didn't know much about Barbara, only that she had infatuated her brother enough to ask her to marry him. Despite her being her future sister-in-law, Olivia had never felt a close connection to the woman.

Lurking in the foyer of the GCPD, Olivia paced up and down, pushing her dark hair behind her ear. She walked on the same spot for about five minutes, wondering if Jim was going to stand her up. She had looked into the communal area from the doorway, seeing if she could see any sign of her brother, but there was nothing. He was nowhere to be seen. She didn't want to walk in, instead she remained stood where Jim had told her to meet him.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

Olivia's brow furrowed as she flung her head over her shoulder, wondering if the man was talking to her. She stopped her pacing and turned around to face him. He was tall and lanky, dark black hair flopping on his head and some against his forehead. Looking to her, he kept silent, rocking back and forth on his heels. Dressed in grey pants with a white shirt poking out of a grey suit jacket, his large rimmed glasses framed his pale face.

"Excuse me?" Olivia responded, uncertain of what was happening.

"It's a riddle," he spoke to her, his hand waving around animatedly. "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

Olivia wondered what the hell was going on, but she didn't say that. Instead she shrugged her shoulders, tugging her satchel further onto her shoulder and folding her arms over her chest. "I don't know."

"Footsteps," the man answered.

Olivia pursed her lips. "That would make sense," she spoke.

"Sorry," the man blabbered. "I was at the desk near the door and I saw you pacing up and down. Plus, I can't help but notice that you have a very familiar look to Jim Gordon and a photo that he has on his desk."

"I never knew Jim could be so sentimental," Olivia scoffed, but held her hand out regardless. "Olivia Gordon. I am Jim's sister."

He held his own hand back, shaking hers slowly. His touch was cold and his handshake quite limp. "Edward Nygma," he responded. "I am a forensic scientist here."

"So you work with my brother?"

"On occasion," Edward nodded. "He seems to be a very pleasant man. He can also answer my riddles which is quite impressive in itself."

"He's always had a quick mind," Olivia said. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is? He said that he would meet me here at half past five and…well…" Olivia checked her watch on her wrist. "He is running ten minutes late already."

"He is in with the captain," Edward told her. "I doubt he should be too long, Miss Gordon."

Olivia held a hand up. "Just call me Olivia," she urged from him. "I don't do well with formalities. Anyway, I will just wait here. I would hate to keep you away from work."

"I was on my way out," he responded. "I'm happy to keep you company until Jim turns up. Besides, it might keep Officer Rhodes from looking at you. He's been staring ever since you turned up."

Olivia followed his gaze to see a man sat at a desk who instantly looked away once her and Ed's gaze moved onto him. Olivia's lips arched upwards and she went to tug on the strap to her bag and turned her gaze away, looking to Edward once more.

"He probably thinks the same as you, that I look like Jim."

"His gaze happened to be on something other than your face."

"Right," Olivia said, looking to Ed and wondering exactly what was going on with the man stood across from her. "Anyway…this is just got awkward."

"Sorry," Edward said quickly. "I have a tendency to do that when I am around people. I make them nervous or say the wrong thing. I think it is just one of the reasons why-"

"-Whoa, slow down there," Olivia said, her hands help up and palms flat in an attempt to get him to stop. "It's fine. I mean; I don't do that well around people either if that's any consolation?"

"I doubt you could be as bad as I am," he responded.

Olivia wanted to humour him and tell him she doubted it, but from what she had seen the man in front of her was particularly awkward around people. She chose to remain mute for a second, doing her best to think about what she should say to him. Finally, she decided on what to say.

"Well, maybe we're both as bad as each other?" Olivia suggested.

"Liv!"

Turning her head over her shoulder, she looked to see her brother moving through the precinct and towards her, his arms outstretched in front of him. Olivia spun on the spot and moved forwards, seeing Jim break into a rare smile. She lifted her own arms up, embracing her brother as he held her in his arms. Closing her eyes, she let her head rest on his shoulder for a second before pulling back.

"So much for being on time," Olivia joked with him, stepping back and nudging him in the arm.

"Sorry, I got held up," Jim said and then saw Edward, his hands behind his back as he looked away, his eyes darting around the room. "I take it you met Ed?"

"I did," Olivia said and Edward finally looked to the siblings, a smile back on his face. "He was telling me that you have a picture of me on your desk. I never had you down for being sentimental, Jim."

"Yeah, well, it isn't every day that your sister graduates with a Masters in Education," Jim responded, knowing exactly what photo she was talking about.

Edward moved to push his glasses further up his nose. "You have a Masters?"

"Graduated last year," Olivia nodded. "I've been working at a middle school in downtown Gotham for the past year teaching mathematics."

"Impressive," Edward said.

"Yeah, she's the brains of the family and I'm the brawn," Jim said. "Anyway, Ed, I think Harvey wanted to finish up some paperwork with you. I should get going. Our reservations are for six so we need to get a move on."

"Got it," Olivia said and looked to Ed, her smile back on her face as the scientist looked down to her. "It was nice to meet you, Mr Nygma."

"Edward, please," he said. "And likewise, Olivia. Perhaps I shall see you around from time to time."

"I doubt it," Olivia scoffed. "If Jim insists on being late then I will take to meeting him at the restaurant and eating before he arrives."

Olivia knew she was joking, but there almost seemed to be a look of disappointment on his face. Perhaps he really didn't meet many people. Perhaps he really didn't deal well with people and had no friends? It was in that moment when she felt something. Was it pity? Was it recognition? She had gone through a time when she had struggled to make friends in high school. She remember that feeling.

"In that case, I shall-"

"-On second thoughts," Olivia said, moving into her satchel and rummaging around as Jim's brows rose on his forehead from confusion over what was happening at that moment in time. Finally, his sister pulled out a business card and he snorted.

"You have business cards?" he questioned her. "You're a teacher."

"A teacher who hands them out at parent/teacher conferences and at conferences she goes to," Olivia said, throwing her brother a scowl. She handed one out to Edward and he took hold of it, seeing that she taught at High Park Middle School. "Anyway, Edward, perhaps we could hang out as friends? I might even get some of those riddles of yours next time."

Edward nodded, holding the card up in his fingers. "I would like that," he said, wondering what had just happened. Ed didn't do friends. He didn't do well around people. He had thought that he had scared her away with his earlier comments, but she didn't seem scared. She seemed to understand him.

"Awesome," Olivia said. "I'll see you around then."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ed," Jim nodded, clapping the man on the shoulder before leaving the precinct with his sister in tow, a smirking Nygma watching after them.

It was only when they arrived at Olivia's car did Jim speak. "So are you driving us there and then dropping me off on your way home?"

"Where's your car?" she wondered from him, flinging her satchel onto the back seat before slipping into the driver's seat.

"Harvey gave me a lift in," Jim said. "So is that a yes?"

"That is a yes," Olivia said. "I'm not going to leave you to fend for yourself."

Starting the car engine, Olivia backed out of the parking spot and began to drive away from the precinct. Jim buckled up as the car moved and he bit down on his cheek for a second before his lips arched upwards. Looking to his sister, he saw her bite down on her bottom lip as she focused on turning right out of the entrance.

"So you come to the precinct for five minutes and I catch you flirting with Nygma?"

"You think that was flirting?" Olivia asked, a scoff leaving her as she slipped into a gap in traffic. "How did you get Barbara if you think that was flirting? You must have used some pretty lame chat up lines."

"My game is smooth enough," Jim said. "Anyway, you didn't answer the question."

"Because it was a ridiculous question," Olivia said to him. "Do you think that I am ready to jump into another relationship after the last one went so badly? All I want is just to move on…go to work…come home…meet up with friends."

"So you're not seeing anyone?"

"Not since the last time you asked me two weeks ago," Olivia said. "I'm happy on my own."

Jim nodded, not certain if he believed what she was saying entirely, but he knew better than to push her on certain things. All he could was cough into his fist and look at her. "Well, Jack was an asshole anyway. I never knew what you saw in him."

Olivia's face went firm, her jaw clenching as she indicated to turn right at another set of lights. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Of course," Jim responded. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Olivia shrugged it off. "Anyway, Edward seemed really pleasant and he said that he didn't have any friends. I don't know why I did what I did, but he just seemed…I don't know…lonely and awkward. I know how that feels. Remember when I was in high school and mom died. I didn't have any friends…no one…I just sat by myself in the canteen. Edward reminds me of…well…me."

"So you pitied him?"

"Not pity entirely, but I understand him," Olivia said. "And he seems a nice enough guy. It might make a change to have a friend who isn't always telling me I need to date or get out more or get a better fashion sense."

Jim chuckled. "Your friends always did seem shallow whenever I met them."

"Funnily enough they all fancied you," Olivia said.

"Really?" Jim asked and Olivia rolled her eyes, throwing him a sideways glance to see his smug face.

"You don't need to seem so cheery about that," Olivia said to him. "They would probably change their minds when they realised that you were even more boring than me now that you're a straight laced cop."

"Charming," Jim said. "You'll have to tell them I'm off the market. Barbara is the only one for me now. She said hi, by the way. She's working late at the gallery tonight or she would have loved to join us."

"Will I see her when I drop you off? I meant to thank her for the artwork she sent to my apartment," Olivia said.

"She sent artwork?"

"Yeah, the other day," Olivia said. "My neighbour signed for it. It was lovely, really, nothing garish like in your apartment. It was a landscape portrait of a field of flowers. I have it stood in the living room, but I don't know where to hang it."

Jim nodded. "That was nice of Barbara," he said. "I didn't know she was going to do that and she didn't say last night."

"Well, it was still lovely of her," Olivia said, turning into the parking lot across from the Italian restaurant they had reservations at. She parked her car and climbed out of it, grabbing her satchel from the backseat before looking to Jim. "Ready?"

"Oh, I've never been more ready. I'm starving."

Olivia laughed at him before walking by his side to the main road. "I can agree with that."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Truth be told, Olivia didn't entirely think that Edward Nygma would have made contact with her. She had sensed that he was socially awkward. That had been obviously apparent. Jim had also told her that he had a habit of talking in riddles. Olivia had furrowed her brow at that, wondering where that obsession had come from. It had been about a week since she had met Edward when she saw a message appear on her phone. Even in text conversation he had been polite, signing his messages with 'best wishes' and opening with 'dear.' Olivia had chuckled as she sat at her desk, marking homework and looking to the message.

She had placed her red biro down and responded, telling Edward that she would be happy to meet him for a drink on Friday evening at the Monaco Bar. She didn't know if Edward was a drinker, but she suspected that a bar would be the best place to meet. She didn't know how it happened, but Friday night soon rolled around after Edward's initial text on the Tuesday. She had intended to go home and change before meeting him, but she had stayed late at the school, preferring to get her work done before the weekend considering Jim had asked her to dinner with Barbara on Saturday night.

Driving straight from work to the bar, Olivia, parked in the parking lot and half expected Edward not to have been there. How wrong she was. She parked in a bay as far away from other cars as possible due to the fact she hated parking near other vehicles. Climbing from the car, she shut the door and locked it with a push of the button, her bag on her shoulder. Looking towards the entrance, she saw Edward already stood there, dressed in a long grey coat, a blue shirt and a red tie underneath it. He moved a finger to push his glasses further onto his nose as he saw her approaching, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, Edward," Olivia spoke, foregoing titles. "How are you doing? You haven't been here long, have you?"

"Not at all," Edward said with a shake of his head. "I only just got here."

"Sorry for keeping you," Olivia said, a hand going to his upper arm before she turned on her heel with Edward, leading him into the bar. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat a bite," Edward nodded.

"Awesome," Olivia said, a smile still on her face as she entered the bar, Edward behind her and holding the door wide open. Coming to the front of the restaurant, she joined the queue behind a few other people and turned to look back up to Ed. "They do the best mac and cheese here, I swear."

"I will take your word for it," Edward spoke. "I don't usually do bars."

"Neither do I," Olivia admitted to him. "Well…I mean…I do bars that also serve food. I prefer eating than drinking."

"I can concur with that," Edward responded and moved his hands against his pant legs before seeing Olivia look forward again. He did his best not to keep his gaze too intense, but he couldn't help but notice that Olivia looked very similar to Jim. She had the same stubborn set jaw and piercing eyes. Her cheekbones were more prominent, but her hair was dark, if not a little darker than Jim's. She was smaller than Jim and much smaller than Edward. She had some kind of mole on the top of her forehead, mostly hidden by her hair but visible due to the thin wisps.

"Hi there, welcome to the Monaco Bar. Will you be dining or drinking tonight?"

"A bit of both," Olivia responded to the polite blonde waitress behind the podium. "Could we maybe have a table upstairs?"

The blonde waitress smirked. "I like it upstairs too. It's much quieter than down here."

"I always prefer the upstairs," Olivia said and began to follow the woman as Edward followed behind her, listening in as Olivia made polite conversation with the waitress as though she had met her before and they were old friends. Edward, on the other hand, did not possess the power to do that. He could scarcely converse with people who he knew. They either commented on how annoying he was or how strange he was. Olivia had been different. Much like Jim, she had not mocked him. She had done nothing to belittle him or make him feel different.

Sitting down at a high table, Olivia watched as Edward easily slipped into the seat and she clambered up. The waitress left them a menu and said she would be back with a jug of water for the table. Olivia picked up her menu and looked down for a second before closing it and putting it back on the table.

Looking to Edward, she shrugged. "I don't know why I bothered looking when I know exactly what I want."

Edward shrugged out of his long coat as Olivia did the same, revealing a dark red dress she wore with long sleeves. The dress was plain, coming down to her knees while her legs remained covered in dark tights.

"Perhaps I might go with your recommendation too," Edward said. "If you have had it before then I will take your word for it."

"It's the best," Olivia promised him. "All my friends mock me for having it whenever we come here, but it's the thing I like the best."

"Do you come here often?"

"Not as much as I used to," Olivia said, looking around.

The upstairs balcony was swarmed with couples and groups of friends. They were all picking at meals and drinking expensive cocktails and beers. The soft jazz music played out over the stereo. Downstairs was much more rowdy. Groups from work had descended on the bar, loitering around and drinking to celebrate the weekend. It was much louder down the spiral staircase, hence why Olivia preferred the upstairs.

"My friends try to drag me out of the apartment, but I prefer to stay home," Olivia admitted to him. "I've been a bit of a recluse in recent months, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, how was your day?"

"Very good," Edward said. "Your brother has been busy today. I am sure you heard about the City Councilman who was murdered?"

"Jenkins?" Olivia asked. "Yeah, I heard about him."

"Well," Edward said, lacing his hands together on the table. "Councilman Zeller was also killed."

Olivia frowned. "But their politics are totally different. Who would kill both of them?"

"This is the interesting thing that your brother is looking into," Edward said. "I told him that the same man definitely killed both the politicians. The murder weapon was exactly the same. Their wounds were identical. I have no idea who it was, but Jim and Harvey were on their way to Blackgate to talk to someone who they think might be able to help."

"Blackgate?" Olivia checked and Edward saw some kind of flicker of worry on her face. She took a deep breath before forcing a smile back onto her face. Looking to Edward, she saw him let his lips fall into a line as he watched her. "He'll be fine."

"You worry about him," Edward stated the obvious and Olivia shrugged.

"He's my brother," Olivia said simply. "He's really the only family I have, except for an uncle we haven't seen in years."

"Have you always been close to him?"

"Yes," Olivia nodded her head. "I mean, it was difficult when he left Gotham, but now that he's back…well…I'm happy, but I still worry about him. I know what Jim is like and I know what Gotham is like."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that the GCPD is the most corrupt police department in the US and Jim is the least corruptible cop in that department. I worry about how he will cope. Everyone knows that you don't ruffle feathers in that precinct."

"True," Edward nodded. "Working in the forensics department means that I stay out of a lot of office politics, but I have heard numerous rumours. I try not to heed much attention to them."

"Best way," Olivia said to him, folding one leg over the other. "So, how did you get into forensics?"

Edward almost looked worried at her question, but he said nothing. He had to admit that a part of him was in shock. No one asked him questions about himself. No one cared why he liked science. No one was interested in that.

"I always liked science," Edward admitted to her. "But I also liked the idea of trying to solve crimes. I grew up loving mystery and being the one to solve cases when watching TV shows. I used to drive my parents mad, but I enjoyed it. I combined the two and here we are. I studied for my forensic science degree and was lucky enough to get a job in the GCPD."

"Remind me never to watch detective shows with you around then," Olivia said jokingly. "So have you always worked for the GCPD?"

"I have," Edward commented. "I started about five years ago after I finished college."

"And you've never fancied a change? Getting out of Gotham?"

"Not really," Edward said. "I believe that Gotham is pretty much the same as anywhere else. There is corruption, but there is corruption in other cities. Nowhere is perfect."

"But other places might be better than this," Olivia said.

"But you are still here," Edward said to her.

"True," Olivia agreed with him. "I don't know…I know what Gotham is. I know it and I have learned to live here, but Jim has been gone for a while. He doesn't know that things have gone downhill. Besides, I have a life here and the kids I teach…I don't know, it sounds completely ridiculous, but some of those kids are the most deprived in Gotham and I like helping them."

"You take your job very seriously, I take it?"

"I do," Olivia said. "Perhaps I take it a bit too seriously, but I love teaching."

"I imagine it is quite challenging."

"Only sometimes," Olivia said. "Usually when tests are coming up."

"I used to love tests," Ed responded, a look of giddiness on his face.

"Let me guess," Olivia responded, a brow arched. "You used to come top all of the time?"

"You have me today, tomorrow you'll have more, as your time passes, I'm not easy to store, I don't take up space, but I'm only in one place. What am I?" Edward wondered from her and Olivia wondered if this was going to be a common thing with Edward. Could he go one conversation without riddles?

"I don't know," Olivia responded.

"Memories," Ed said, pushing his glasses onto his nose. "I have an eidetic memory so it makes forgetting things difficult, but it did make tests easier."

"Impressive," Olivia nodded before she saw the waitress come to take their order.

She let her eyes roam over Ed as he gave his order, asking exactly what was in a certain drink he had been eyeing up. Smiling gently before looking down, Olivia closed her eyes and wondered exactly what it was about Edward Nygma she found so intriguing. She said nothing until Edward turned his attention back to her, her gaze moving back to his.

"I did have an ulterior motive for asking you here," Edward admitted, looking nervous all of a sudden and Olivia wondered where this conversation was going. Did Edward know about Jack? Had Jim told him?

"And that is?"

"You…well…you were really nice to me in the precinct," Edward said and Olivia bit down on her tongue, waiting to hear what Ed had to say. "No one has been that nice to me before. People tend to sneer at me more than they talk to me. I wanted to know…well…as a female…well…how do you like to be asked out?"

Olivia blinked profusely. "Excuse me?"

Edward felt his cheeks warm up as he wondered what he was saying to her. He knew it was coming out in garbled nonsense. "There's a woman," Edward spoke hastily. "Her name is Kristen and she works in the precinct…in paperwork…but I don't know how to ask her out. I think she is seeing someone, but I don't know if they are serious. I just don't know what to do."

Olivia felt slight relief in her veins as she let her smile fall back onto her face. Picking up an olive from the middle of the table, she popped one into her mouth and chewed down on it.

"Well, I don't know if I am the expert on these things," Olivia said.

"You have to be better than I am."

"I doubt it," Olivia snorted, "but I can only tell you what I would like. I don't know if she would like it…but…it's not as if any of my relationships have turned out to be perfect."

"I have never dated anyone," Edward said. "I don't know how to do this and Kristen is just perfect. She is smart, beautiful…funny…but I don't know how to show her that I'm not just…this," he said, motioning to himself.

Olivia frowned. "What is wrong with that?" Olivia asked from him. "Edward, you shouldn't need to change who you are for someone."

"But I want to change for the better," Edward said and Olivia shook her head, feeling forceful as the waitress returned with their drinks. Picking up her strawberry mocktail, Olivia sipped on it and looked to the ceiling for a moment, remembering exactly what Jack had told her.

"Then change for yourself," Olivia decided to say. "Do not pretend to be someone you're not for someone else."

It was then when Olivia heard her cell begin to ring in her bag. Pulling her satchel from the back of her chair, she looked to the caller ID and saw that it was Jim calling her. She looked to Edward, grateful for her brother's interruption as she held up the cell in her hands.

"Jim," she said to Edward before accepting the call.

"Hey, Jim," Olivia said, but it wasn't Jim's voice on the other end of the line.

"Olivia, it's me, Barbara," the woman responded and Olivia's brow furrowed. "Jim left his cell in the apartment and I wondered if he was with you. I haven't seen him today and…well…I don't think we're really talking at the moment."

Olivia frowned. "What is going on, Barbara?"

"You'll have to ask Jim that," Barbara said. "If you see him, can you tell him I will leave his cell at the precinct on my way to the gallery?"

"Sure," Olivia said. "Barbara, are you okay?"

"No," Barbara said, "but I will be."

Barbara hung up and Olivia looked to her blank screen before shaking her head. Edward took a sip of his own. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," Olivia said. "It was Barbara. I think her and Jim might have had some kind of argument. I don't know, but she asked me to tell him he had left his cell at hers, but she is taking it to the precinct….which means…is he not living with Barbara? Where is he living then?"

"He didn't say anything to you?"

"Not a word," Olivia said. "I'll go by the precinct on my way home and find him. I get the feeling he is always living there at the moment."

"He does work long hours," Edward confirmed.

"Sorry," Olivia said, placing her cell down and holding her hands up. "We were talking about Kristen. Anyway, I mean…"

Olivia trailed off as loud screams echoed through the bar. Olivia looked over to the edge of the balcony as people began congregating there. Moving from her stool, Olivia walked towards the crowd as she heard a gunshot echo through the building. The screams grew louder then as people began to move down the metal staircase back to the ground floor, trying to escape.

"We need to get out of here," Olivia said as she turned to see Ed had moved to stand behind her. She began to move to the staircase, but Edward was quicker. He grabbed hold of her by the arm, stopping her from moving.

"Not the main staircase," Edward said. "If we go down there then we run into the gunfire. We need to go out the back way."

Olivia wondered what he was talking about before she saw a fire escape by the ladies toilets. Rushing towards the green sign, Olivia felt Edward's hand wrap around her arm, steering her towards the fire exit. Some other people rushed there too, but there were many who were simply standing around, ducking under tables and hiding. No one truly knew what to do. No one knew what was happening.

Coming to the fire exit door, Olivia turned her head over her shoulder as she heard another gunshot and more screams. There were demands for people to get down and hold their hands in the air. Olivia almost wondered if it was best to do as they had asked than try to run. Following Edward down the wooden steps along with some other people, Olivia saw the fire escape door was flung wide open.

There were harsh and loud breaths as people poured out onto the alleyway, running down it, their feet hitting in puddles as they tried to get as far away from the building as possible. Olivia closed her eyes as they finally came to the end of the alleyway and saw flashing blue lights on the main road coming towards the bar.

"What the hell was that?" Olivia demanded, her voice faltering as she closed her eyes and did her best to comprehend what had just happened.

"I think that was either a robbery or gang warfare," Edward said, his cheeks red and his glasses falling down his nose. "We should get somewhere safe…the police will all be in there now."

"I left my cell and bag," Olivia said. "My car keys are in there and my purse…won't the police want to account for us?"

"I will sort it," Edward said to her. "But I think it would be safer if we get away from here. We don't know if more people will come."

Olivia suspected that was true and she was already in a state of panic and worry. Instead she simply nodded to Edward and agreed to follow him.

…

Jim knew that his sister was going to the Monaco Bar that evening. Edward had told Jim that he was meeting Olivia there after work. Jim had been working on the politicians' murders, but then he had heard about the incident at Club Monaco over the radio. It was a robbery gone wrong with two fatally wounded. Jim had tried to call his sister on Harvey's cell, considering he had lost his, but there had been no answer. However, it was when Nygma had called Harvey did Jim feel slight relief.

Edward had taken Olivia back to the precinct after fleeing the scene and Jim had never felt such gratitude for the forensic scientist. Running into the precinct, Jim looked around, wondering where his sister was before he saw. She was sat on the edge of his desk, wrapped in a grey jacket, her hair tucked behind her ears. Edward was stood in front of her, his hands in his grey pants and his blue shirt tucked into them. His tie was loose around his neck and his top button was undone.

Moving up the steps to his desk, Jim saw Olivia turn her gaze to him. Moving to her feet, she wrapped her arms around her brother as Jim took hold of her, his hands running up and down her back that was covered in Edward's jacket.

"I've been worried sick," Jim said, controlling his breathing.

"What happened?" Olivia wondered from him.

"A botched robbery," Jim said. "I tried to call you, but I couldn't get any answer."

"I left it in the club," Olivia responded.

"I know," Jim said. "Harvey told me that Ed called him."

"I suspected you would be worried," Edward said.

"Thanks, Ed," Jim said. "I'm glad you're both safe."

"It was Ed who was the one who got us out," Olivia admitted, looking over to Nygma as she saw him shift from one foot to the other. "Thank you, Ed."

Edward nodded once, uncertain how to respond to the gratitude he was hearing. He rarely had people thank him for doing things. She said nothing for a moment, instead she moved slowly and took hold of Edward by the shoulder, leaning up to peck him on the cheek. Moving her arms around him for a second, she embraced him as Edward moved his own arms around her, uncertain of what he was doing before she pulled back and he felt her move to push a strand of his stray hair behind his ear.

"Perhaps next time we can go somewhere where there isn't a robbery?" Olivia said.

"I think I would like that," Edward admitted.

Turning to her brother, she looked to Jim as she shrugged out of Edward's jacket. "We need to give Edward a lift home. His car is with mine in the car park at the bar."

"You're not getting them back until morning," Jim commented. "So yeah…come on, Ed, I'll drop you off on the way home."

"Thank you," Edward said as Olivia tried to hand him his jacket back, but he held a hand up. "It's cold outside. Keep it."

Olivia didn't seem to protest as she shrugged back into it and Jim moved a hand to the small of her back and began to lead the way to his car. It was only as Jim held the door open for Olivia at his car did she speak to him in a whispered voice as Edward climbed into the backseat.

"We need to talk," she spoke. "Barbara called me earlier."

"I see," Jim mumbled.

"What's going on, Jim?"

"I'll tell you later," Jim responded. "It's a long story."

Olivia moved to sit in the front seat as Jim closed the door behind her and went to the driver's side, wondering how to explain the mess he was wrapped up in to his sister.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Tossing her keys down onto the small table by the front door of her apartment, Olivia folded her arms over her chest and looked to her brother. Jim had closed the door, placing the bolt over the wood before sighing and bowing his head. He closed his eyes for a few moments and pinched his nose. Peeling his eyes open once more, Jim looked to his sister as she remained expectantly staring at him.

"So?" she urged from him.

"Do you have alcohol?"

Olivia sighed but moved into the kitchen, tossing her shoes off into the corner on the way. Standing in the open spaced kitchen as Jim took a seat on the sofa, she reached on top of her fridge for her bottle of whiskey she kept for serious occasions. Pulling it down from the spot it sat on, she reached for two small glasses and carried them back to the living area. Sitting down on the sofa, she placed the bottle and glasses onto the coffee table. Leaning forwards, she poured the liquid into both glasses, handing one over to Jim.

He downed it in a second, tossing the liquid back down his throat as Olivia arched her brow and saw him move to pour another glass. He held this one in his hands, sitting back and loosening his tie and undoing his top button.

"What is it?" Olivia urged from him, longing for him just to tell her what had happened.

"I'm involved in some dangerous business, Liv," he said to her. "Business that I don't want to drag you into, you understand that, right?"

Olivia bit down on her lip and placed her glass down onto the coffee table. She turned on the sofa, leaning against the side of it as her hand went to cradle her head and she kept her gaze focused on her brother.

"What have you done, Jim?" she asked in a soft voice.

"It was during the Wayne case," Gordon said in a soft voice. "There was a man named Mario Pepper who was rumoured to have tried to sell the pearls that were stolen from Martha Wayne on the night she and her husband were murdered, but he was framed. He didn't kill the Waynes, but someone wanted us to think that he had. Well…I went to see Fish…a woman-"

"-Fish Mooney?" Olivia interrupted. "She works for Falcone, doesn't she? She owns that bar."

"Yeah," Jim nodded. "Anyway, Harvey said that she might know something about the Wayne case considering she knows just about every low life in Gotham. Anyway, I think she set Pepper up, so I went to see her and well…she beat me up…well her thugs did."

"What?" Olivia snapped. "Are you okay? Jim, what did she do?"

"Nothing I haven't had before," Jim held his hand up. "Long story short, Harvey turned up and was even more useless than I was. Luckily Don Falcone showed his face, saying that Fish had no business killing cops without his permission. I asked him if he knew who killed the Waynes, but he said he had no idea. But he…he threatened me…told me that I had no business looking into who had framed Pepper. To him, justice had been served, despite the fact that nothing has been done, Liv. The real killer is still out there."

"But if you go looking for him…if you keep digging…then what?" Olivia worried from her brother. "Jim, Falcone runs parts of this city. We all know that. If you keep searching for the truth then what?"

"Falcone doesn't want that," Jim shook his head. "He wants me to stop and give it up. The city is awash with corruption. The GCPD knows it too. If I keep trying to dig then he'll have me killed. A police officer hell bent on reform isn't good for his business, is it?"

"So what are you going to do?"

"I haven't decided yet," Jim said, "but things…Liv…they're dangerous. Falcone ordered me to kill this man who had been snitching to the GCPD. He is called Oswald Cobblepot. He used to be Mooney's umbrella boy. I was at the docks. I was there with a gun to his head and I couldn't do it. I pushed him into the water and told him to leave. I told him never to come back. But he has. He came back and turned up at the penthouse. Barbara was there and she asked me who he was. I couldn't tell her, Liv. I couldn't tell her because I can't drag her into this. I can't see her suffer."

"She is your fiancée, Jim," Olivia reminded her brother. "She deserves to know the truth."

"Olivia, I am scared about what the truth would do to her," Jim said, moving to toss his whiskey down his throat once more. Placing it back down onto the coffee table, he leaned forwards, clasping his hands together and resting his arms on his thighs. "She's…well…we're in the middle of an argument. She told me that we need to be honest with each other and I know that she is right."

"Then why not just tell her?" Olivia wondered. "You told me, Jim."

"I know," Jim sighed. "But that is different, Liv. You're my sister. We've never kept secrets. It turns out that Barbara, well, she has kept secrets. I'm being investigated because people think I am corrupt and in Falcone's pocket. One of the officers doesn't trust me and went to see Barbara to tell her I was corrupt. Turns out the two of them had been romantically involved."

"Who is he?"

"She," Jim corrected his sister and Olivia's eyes widened. Jim scoffed and nodded. "Yeah, shocker, right? Anyway, she is called Renee Montoya."

"Okay," Olivia said. "So the two of you are just having a row? You haven't split up?"

Jim chuckled and shrugged. "I have no idea," he admitted to his sister. "But Cobblepot is back and I don't know how much longer it will be until Falcone knows I didn't kill him. He said that he is going to keep quiet, but I don't know if he can."

"So what do you do?" Olivia worried.

"For now, I'm going to keep quiet," he shrugged. "There's not much more I can do."

"Christ, Jim," Olivia complained, pushing her hands through her hair and leaning back against the sofa, sinking downwards as Jim poured himself another glass of whiskey and leaned back, letting out a deep sigh. "You are being investigated by cops. You have Falcone on your back. You're playing both sides. How much longer can you keep it up?"

"As long as I have to," Jim said. "Olivia, I need you to keep this quiet, okay? I mean, I shouldn't have told you. I shouldn't have said anything, but I just needed to talk to someone. It was getting to me, but I shouldn't have let it. I should have just kept quiet."

"Don't be absurd," Olivia sniped to her brother. "I am your sister, okay? I am here for you. I always have been, but what if, just for once, you listened to me? What if you just got out of Gotham? What if you left this all behind and call it quits?"

"I'm in too deep for that," Jim responded sullenly. "If I run now then I look guilty to both sides. They'd find me. I can't escape this."

"So what do we do?" Olivia wondered.

"We keep going," Jim shrugged his shoulders. "But if the time comes when I need you to go with Barbara, then you need to promise me you won't be stubborn about it, okay? I know what you're like, Olivia. You're not one to do as people ask."

She snorted at that and rolled her eyes. "Wonder where we both get that from?"

Jim smirked and nodded his head. "Just promise me, Liv, okay?"

"Jim, I can't-"

"-Liv," Jim interrupted her, his tone stern and demanding. "Just do it, please?"

"Fine, okay," Olivia said with a nod of her head. "But promise me you will talk to Barbara, okay? She is your fiancée. You shouldn't be arguing."

"I'll go and see her in the morning," Jim said. "But tonight, can I just stay over here?"

"I figured you'd ask eventually," Olivia said. "I'll set up the sofa bed."

Jim managed a small smile, nodding his head and moving to pat his sister's arm. "Thanks, Liv."

Olivia nodded and moved up from the seat, heading down the small corridor leading to her bedroom and bathroom. Opening the door to the storage cupboard, she pulled out some towels and bedding. Walking back into the living room, she saw Jim pulling the coffee table back and then move to pull out the bed from the sofa, tossing the cushions to the side.

"So how was your evening going with Nygma before all of the drama?" he wondered of his sister.

Olivia nodded. "It was going well," she said to him. "He is a nice guy. Don't get me wrong, he comes across as a bit zany, but he is pleasant and friendly. He was telling me that he is infatuated with this woman named Kristen."

"Kristen Kringle?" Jim checked. "She works down in the records of the GCPD. I never knew Nygma fancied her."

"Apparently so," Olivia said back. "He was saying that he doesn't know how to woo her, but that wasn't the thing that annoyed me the most. He said he wanted to know what women liked so that he could change. He doesn't think she will ever like him as he is now."

"I see," Jim said as Olivia placed the bedsheet onto the mattress, tucking it under the edges. "I take it you didn't take kindly to that?"

Olivia shrugged as she stuffed the spare duvet with a duvet cover. "You know what Jack used to tell me," Olivia said with a shrug. "I sort of went back to that. It made me think about how he wanted me to change or how he always told me to be something else…be happier…friendlier…make more of an effort…I just don't think that Ed should be looking at changing to make someone like him. They should like him for who he is."

Olivia finished taking out her aggression on punching the duvet into the cover, covering the bed with it before placing the pillows back and finishing the bed. Sitting down on it, she pulled her legs onto the mattress as Jim almost moved to sit on it, peeling his jacket from his body and throwing it on the end of the bed.

"Jack was an idiot," Jim informed his sister. "If I had been here then I would have told him that he couldn't get away with treating you like he did."

"I came to that realisation on my own, Jim," Olivia told him. "I handled it myself. I don't need you to protect me, okay? I'm old enough to do that myself. I just should have done it earlier than I did."

"Doesn't mean that I couldn't have kicked his ass afterwards," Jim said.

Olivia laughed at that, her hands going to rest on top of her stomach as she turned her head to the side, looking to her brother as he remained sat up. "If I was physically stronger than I would have liked to have done that. Anyway, it doesn't matter, does it? He is gone and I am fine without him. I just want Ed to realise he shouldn't need to change."

"He's definitely an interesting character," Jim commented. "I do wonder who could end up with him? She'd have to have a tolerance for riddles."

"I didn't believe you when you said he couldn't go a conversation without riddling," Olivia spoke. "But you were telling the truth."

Jim smirked. "It drives Harvey insane," he responded. "I quite like it. I think it shocks him whenever I get one because Harvey tends just to ignore him."

Olivia smiled then. "I think it's clever," she said. "Anyway, he's nice, Jim. He just needs a friend and I mean, you know how I was years ago. I had no friends. I had no one to talk to and I know how he feels."

"Yeah," Jim said. "Well, when I spoke to him earlier today he was very excited to meet you. If you didn't tell me about Kristen than I'd be asking if he had ulterior motives other than friendship."

"Jim," Olivia complained, sitting up and picking the glasses and whiskey bottle up. Moving into the kitchen behind the living room, she placed the glasses into the sink and the whiskey bottle on top of the fridge. "You know I have no intention of dating someone so soon after Jack. So you have no need to worry."

Jim rolled his eyes and turned his head over his shoulder to look into the kitchen to his sister. "You know I will always worry," Jim spoke. "You're my sister. It's my prerogative to worry."

"I'd say you should be worrying about your own skin now," Olivia told him. "Anyway, I'm going to shower and go to bed. The towels are on the side and your spare toothbrush is still in the cabinet. Borrow whatever you want."

"Thanks," Jim said.

"Goodnight, Jim," Olivia said.

"Goodnight, Liv."

…

Olivia sat in the coffee shop around the corner from the GCPD precinct a week after she had first met Ed. Jim had gone back to Barbara and attempted to make up with her, but their relationship was still strained. Olivia had tried to keep tabs on Jim, but he was constantly working cases and running around trying to solve then. She had asked if he wanted to hang out that weekend, but he had told her that he was busy.

She had sighed and warned him that he should be careful, but she had no idea if he was listening to her. Olivia had asked Edward if he was free for a drink on Friday evening, but she had insisted on a coffee shop instead of a bar. Sitting down in the small shop, Olivia clutched onto her large mug of hot chocolate after ordering a herbal tea for Ed. He walked in about four minutes after her, seeing her in the corner by the sofas and the roaring fire. Bookshelves lined the walls and there were people sat reading the battered copies of classic novels.

He spotted Olivia and moved towards her, peeling his grey coat from his body and placing it over the back of his chair. Olivia was dressed in a pair of dogtooth patterned pants, a white blouse tucked into their high waistband. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, stray wisps falling from it and down her neck.

"I apologise for being late," Edward said, quickly sinking down into the seat across from her. "I hope you haven't been here long."

"No, I just ordered the drinks. I remember you drinking a herbal tea in the precinct last week so I ordered you another one," Olivia said and Edward nodded, settling into his chair and folding one leg over the other.

"Thank you very much," Edward said.

"Are you hungry?" Olivia wondered from him. "They do great sandwiches here. I might order one after my drink."

"Sounds like a plan," Edward spoke. "I should have called you earlier, Olivia. I have been busy with work, but that is no excuse. I never thought after that night-"

"-Ed, it is fine," Olivia promised him. "I just thought that we could maybe finish the conversation from last week considering we had been rudely interrupted. I get that the week has been busy…I know that."

"I admit I was having a good time last week," Edward admitted to her. "And I have spoken to Miss Kringle this week too. I realised that I shouldn't be shy. I need to be bolder. I suspect the only issue is that she is already dating somebody."

"Oh, Ed," Olivia sighed, but a part of her was slightly relieved over hearing that, knowing that Ed didn't sound like a good fit with Miss Kringle. "Are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine," Edward responded. "I know that Miss Kringle will soon see that she can do much better than the buffoon she is currently dating. She can do ten times better."

"Sometimes we make some interesting decisions when it comes to dating," Olivia said coyly. "I know that she might seem as though she is being blind…foolish…but she doesn't see it yet. Believe me, I have been there."

"You?" Edward asked from her.

Olivia arched a brow. "You sound shocked?" she asked of him.

"Well, you…you seem very sensible and strong," Edward said. "I doubt that you would date anyone who would…well…not treat you as you should be treated."

Olivia smiled and sipped on her hot chocolate. "That is really nice of you," she said. "But I did date someone who just wasn't that nice to me. It took me a few months to realise that he wasn't nice, but I finally did. I should have realised sooner, but when you think you love someone then you think they can change. It took me a long time to realise that wasn't the case."

"What did he do?" Edward enquired, but then held his hands up. "If you don't mind me asking."

"No," Olivia said, seeming slightly uncomfortable as she shifted in her chair and played with the cuffs of her blouse. "It's fine. I mean…I told Jim certain things, but I kept other things out. Just don't…don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Promise," Edward responded.

"Okay," Olivia said with a nod. "Well, I mean, I won't bore you with all the details, but there were times when he would…when he would make me feel bad. Like if I didn't want to go out then he would make me feel as though I was lazy or as though I didn't want to be seen in public with him. Then when we were out with his friends he would tell me to smile more…or if he saw me look miserable then he would accuse me of wanting to ruin his night…and then there was the jealousy. That was when I started to regret everything. He would see me talking to other men and call me names…you know…whore…slut…and that was when I told him we were over."

"That's horrible," Edward said, his face seeming to fall slightly as Olivia shrugged.

"I'm not the first and I won't be the last to go through it," she said. "It was when I broke up with him when he…he finally showed his true colours. He hit me. He apologised. Of course he apologised, but I told him to go or I would call the police. He left and tried to apologise, but I ignored him until he gave up."

Edward's mouth fell open. "He hit you?" he demanded from her and Olivia nodded.

"It was the first and last time he did it," she responded. "I never told Jim that. I knew that he would be angry with Jack, but I didn't want him to be angry with me for letting it get to that stage. I don't want him to see me as…well…someone who constantly needs protecting. It's bad enough that he is already overbearing."

"I am certain that Jim would not see it that way," Edward said. "I see how he adores you, Olivia. A blind man could see it. He cares very much about you and, I suspect, he would do anything for you. However, I confess, I have noticed that he seems very stressed at this moment in time."

"He's got a lot on his plate," Olivia said in response. "I haven't seen him in the last week."

"Well, no doubt it is because, as you say, he is busy," Edward spoke. "Regardless, Olivia, I believe that you deserve much more than a man like Jack. You are too kind…too kind for someone like him."

"Thanks, Ed," Olivia said. "But it is all in the past now. I mean, I've met you twice before this and I have told you something that I never told my own brother. That doesn't make sense to me."

"Sometimes we find it easier to confide in those who are not our own blood," Edward simply answered. "While we are supposed to tell the truth to those we hold dear to us, it is not always as easy to do, knowing that they might react in a way we do not want them to or, possibly, that we might disappoint them."

"I guess so," Olivia said. "But Jim and I don't keep things secret."

"Perhaps you should speak with him then?" Edward suggested to her.

Olivia shrugged. "Maybe," she admitted. "Anyway, we should talk about something else. How has your day at work been?"

The two of them lapsed into comfortable conversation about mediocre things, such as work and weekend plans. Edward asked Olivia about her job and in turn she asked him about how his childhood had been. He had told her about where he had grown up and what he had been like at school. The two of them had joked about terrible music and movies, alongside Olivia learning that Ed could play the piano. They ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and, after eating, they made their way to the parking lot. It was only when they were about to climb into their cars did Olivia see a familiar sight.

Tyres screeched in the parking lot and Olivia's eyes widened as she stood by her open car door. Edward was already in his car, but he soon climbed out of it once he had seen her loiter, a car pulling up to block hers from being able to pull out of a bay.

Jim climbed from the car, slamming the door behind him before seeing his sister. Olivia closed her own door as Edward began to move around his car, loitering by the hood of it as he saw Jim moved over to Olivia, a look of fear in his eyes. He grabbed hold of her upper arms, holding them tightly as he looked down to her.

"Are you okay? Has anyone seen you?"

"Jim, what are you talking about?" she demanded from him.

"I've been trying to call you for hours, Olivia," he snapped at her. "I found out where you were because I happened to see Harvey who said you were meeting Edward here."

"My cell is on silent and in my bag," Olivia said.

"Jesus, Olivia," Jim hissed. "Come on, I need to get you out of here."

"Detective Gordon," Edward spoke in a nervous voice. "What is going on here?"

"Ed, it doesn't concern you," Jim said, his voice stern and slightly curt. "You need to leave, Ed. Go home."

"Jim, don't be rude," Olivia demanded from her brother. "Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

"It's happening," Jim said with haste. "Liv, is it happening and I need you to get away from Gotham tonight, okay? I need you to leave while I deal with this. They're coming after me…Falcone…he has hit men coming after me."

"What?!" Olivia screeched and Edward wondered just what was going on. He noted how Jim's grip on his sister increased, his knuckles turning white and his eyes widening. Ed had never seen Jim look so worried before, despite the gruesome murder cases they had been working on. "Why is Falcone doing this?"

"Because Cobblepot has come forwards and Falcone knows he is alive," Jim told his sister. "Liv, I need you to come with me. I need to get you out of here…away from the city."

"But I have nothing-"

"-I have cash…one hundred bucks," Jim said. "You can't use your card-"

"-So how am I supposed to survive?" Olivia demanded from her brother. "I am not getting far on a hundred bucks and I'm not like Barbara. I don't have parents or anywhere to go…I have no one."

"You have me."

Olivia and Jim turned their gazes to Ed, looking to him as he pushed his glasses further onto his nose with his middle finger. Looking down to both of them, he did his best to comprehend what he had just done. Was he a fool? Was he putting himself in danger?

"I can't," Olivia said with a firm shake of her head. "Ed, you would be at risk."

"Perhaps," Edward agreed with her. "However, why would anyone come after me? No one would be looking for me. I can drive you back to my apartment and you can stay there until it is safe. You can't go home and if you go on your own…well…you have nowhere to go."

"Ed, that is sweet of you," Olivia informed him, moving to place a hand on his arm. "But this is not your fight."

Ed nodded, chewing on his cheek for a moment. "Correct," he spoke, eyes flashing over to Jim, "but I suspect it is not your mess either, Olivia."

Jim felt a slight amount of guilt at the way Ed was looking at him. He was right. He was telling the truth. This was not Olivia's fight. It was nothing to do with Olivia. She was innocent in all of this and Jim had dragged her into it.

"You owe me nothing, Ed," Jim said, his voice gruff. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to put you in this position, but maybe…maybe you are right. Maybe she would be safer with you than running on her own."

"I am here," Olivia said, pointing to her chest. "And I am not putting Ed in this position."

"I am offering," Ed said, "and I think it is the safest option logically speaking. No one would think you were with me. No one would look for me and therefore no one would look for you. You would be perfectly safe."

"It's not my safety I am worried for," Olivia said, turning her gaze back to her brother, her eyes wide and a look of fear held behind them. Jim moved quickly, wrapping his sister into his hold as he kissed the top of her head.

"I'll be fine," Jim said, not entirely certain if he was telling the truth. "This is my mess, Liv. I will deal with it…just…please go with Ed. I will call as soon as something happens."

"I don't like this, Jim," Olivia said and Jim pulled back, looking her in the eye with a serious stare. "I don't like this at all."

"You're not the only one," Jim said. "Now go with Ed and stay hidden. I will call when I have news."

Jim steered his sister toward's Ed car after she had locked her own. He opened the passenger door as Edward went to the driver's side. Moving to kiss her on the forehead once more, Jim noticed her toss her bag into the footwell of the seat before climbing to sit down.

"Stay safe, Jim," Olivia urged from her brother.

"You too, Liv," Jim said and slammed the car door shut.

Running to his own car, Olivia watched as her brother drove off and Edward turned the ignition on, putting the car into drive. She said nothing, choosing to keep silent as she looked out the window and Jim turned left while Ed waited to turn right. Looking to the forensic scientist, Olivia noticed how his focus remained on the road in front of him as she spoke.

"You don't need to do this," she said in a whisper. "You can take me to the bus station and I can go."

"You heard Jim," Edward told her. "He said you shouldn't use your card and you don't have enough cash."

"I can take cash out and then go," Olivia said.

Edward shook his head. "I doubt that Jim would be happy with me if he knew I had done that," he said. "No, Olivia, you need to be a ghost…go invisible…that way you will most certainly be safe."

"And if someone finds out you are with me?" she worried. "Ed, I don't want-"

"-No one will find out," Ed interrupted her constant worrying. "Olivia, everything is going to be just fine. I promise you."

She lapsed into silence then, realising that arguing was not going to get her anywhere, especially when Edward insisted on arguing back. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto the headrest, folding one leg over the other before wondering how long she was going to be stuck with Ed for.

…

Ed said nothing, choosing to remain silent as he placed the kettle on the hob. He had placed a tea bag into two glass mugs, waiting for the water to boil. He had left Olivia to sit on the sofa after pulling out a spare duvet and pillows from his storage cupboard. He had left Olivia to make some kind of bed, even though he had insisted she have his bed.

Once he had finished making the two herbal teas, he moved over to Olivia who was sat with her legs crossed, her hands holding her head as her eyes remained on the floor. Sitting down next to her, Edward remained perched on the edge of the sofa as he handed her the tea.

"Thank you," she spoke, trying to manage a smile but failing miserably.

"You are welcome," Ed said. "It might help to settle the nerves. Olivia, may I ask you…well…your brother…what exactly is he involved in?"

Olivia scoffed, pushing a hand through her hair. "He's worked for the GCPD for less than a month and he has already managed to piss off the mob bosses due to his inability to accept corruption."

Edward said nothing, chewing down on his lip as Olivia shook her head and looked to him. "Sorry," she said, "I know that doesn't answer your question. It's about the Wayne murders."

Olivia told Ed exactly what her brother had told her the other night, but Ed had not looked shocked by any of it. He had accepted it with stoic acceptance. He seemed to understand better than Olivia had thought he might.

"Your brother is not one to let corruption go without punishment," Edward murmured. "However, perhaps that is what we need? Perhaps Gotham needs Jim Gordon?"

"But at what cost?" Olivia worried, sipping on her tea. "What if it fails? What if he can't clean up corruption?"

"He will not stop trying," Edward said. "I recognise that and I have only worked with him for a short space of time. I see the good in him just as I see the good in you…both of you…you want to help people. Detective Gordon's job just happens to be a lot more dangerous than yours."

Olivia shrugged and sniffed, wiping her eyes as she felt tears build up there. "Why couldn't he just do something and stay away from here?" Olivia said, voice harsh as she placed her cup onto the coffee table and Ed did the same, sensing she was about to let her anger shine through. Moving to her feet, she began pacing, hands on her hips and crumpling her white blouse. "I asked him not to come back here. I asked him not to take this job because I knew what would happen. I knew what he would do. I know him. I know how he is and I know what he is like. I just…why…why did he do this, huh? Why couldn't he just do as I asked?"

Edward knew he had to try and calm her. He held his hands up as she continued pacing. "Olivia, calm down."

"How can I calm down?" she demanded from Ed, her face thunderous. "He is out there and he is being hunted by people…people who might want to hurt him…Jim…all because he insisted on coming back here. If anything happens to him then what? What…I don't know what to do."

Ed suspected that this was the end of her anger. She had gone through worry to rage and now it was back at worry. Edward didn't entirely know how to soothe her as she sunk back down to sit on the sofa, hands going to her face as he saw her begin to shake, crying loudly. Ed perched by her side once more, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and holding it out. She looked to him and took hold of it once she had finished crying, sniffing loudly as she wiped her eyes.

"Sorry," she said to him. "I've only just met you and you already know more about me than…well…any of my friends."

"Yes, well," Edward coughed. "I suspect our friendship hasn't had the most conventional beginning. However, I am not disappointed that I met you."

Olivia snorted and smiled loosely to Ed. "I wouldn't sound too happy about that, Ed, I might prove to be more hassle than I am worth."

"I doubt it," Ed said, his gaze locking with hers for a moment.

Olivia broke the eye contact, turning her gaze to the side and then running her hands up her thighs, looking to the door in the corner. "Mind if I use the bathroom?"

"Of course," Ed said and Olivia placed his handkerchief between them before standing up and moving into the bathroom. Edward remained sat where he was, watching her close the bathroom door before he let out a shaky breath, wondering exactly what it was he was doing with Olivia Gordon.


	5. Chapter 5

Ed didn't want to freak Olivia out or wake her up, but he was growing tired of staying in bed and he knew that he had to use the bathroom. Slipping from his bed, he padded barefoot to the bathroom, looking down to Olivia as she laid on the sofa, resting on her side with a blanket thrown over her. She was wearing one of his old shirts and joggers that he had given her the night before after she had showered.

Closing the door to the bathroom, Edward went about his business as quietly as possible, brushing his teeth and washing his face before leaving the bathroom to see Olivia still sleeping. Her hair had fallen into her face and the blanket had slipped down to her chest. Her eyes were firmly shut and Edward wondered what she was dreaming about. She looked so peaceful. She looked as though she had no problems.

Of course, she didn't have any problems. It was Jim who was dragging her into his problems. Edward picked up a book from his bookshelf before moving back to bed, pulling the pillows up against the wall so that he could sit up. He read his book silently, trying not to rustle the pages too loudly. Every now and then he would glance to his clock, wondering what he would be doing at eight a.m. on a Saturday usually. He rarely did anything. He would go to the supermarket and pick up ingredients for breakfast. Sometimes he would go for a walk or visit the science museum if they had a new exhibition.

But usually he would be alone when he wasn't working. When he thought about it he couldn't help but think how tragic it sounded. Maybe he did need a friend? Maybe Olivia was exactly what he needed, minus the 'her life being in danger' part.

"Ed."

Her sleepy voice drew his gaze from his book as he pushed his glasses further onto his nose and saw her peering over the top of the sofa, looking to him. Her eyes were narrow and her face scrunched up as she woke up slowly. Edward pulled out a bookmark from his drawer and placed it in his book, slipping from bed and tugging the white top he wore down from where it had ridden up.

"How did you sleep?" Ed asked from her.

"Surprisingly well when I drifted off," she said. "I'm sorry, Ed. Have you been awake for long?"

"Not long at all," Edward lied as he moved towards the small kitchen. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Sounds lovely," she mused and untangled her body from the blanket, standing up and stretching before folding her arms over her chest, the oversized clothing she wore almost slipping down her frame as she trod over to the kitchen, leaning against Ed's dining table. "Is there anything I can do, Ed?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered as he placed the kettle on the hob.

"I mean…did you want me to make the tea? Did you want breakfast?"

"No," Edward said hastily, shaking his head. "No, no, no. You are my guest, Olivia. I will cook and cater for you."

Olivia did let her lip curve upwards then. "I'm not a guest, Ed, I'm more of a refugee. I…I don't really know what to do, Ed."

"You wait here for Jim," Edward said, placing the two teacups on the side. "It is all that you can do, okay? No one is going to find out that you are here. No one is going to know."

Before Olivia could answer him, her cell began to ring and she looked over to it. Edward pushed his glasses further onto his nose as he moved closer to her. She bent down, picking the cell up and seeing that it was Barbara who was calling her. She suspected that Jim had told Barbara to get out of the city. Was she expecting a phone call from him? Did she know what had happened? Did she have any inclination?

"It is Barbara," Olivia said.

"I don't know if you should be answering calls," Ed said. "You know, that is how they track you, right? If someone has Barbara's phone then they might be tracking you."

Olivia gulped. "But that would mean that they have her. She is my brother's fiancée…I can't leave her out there. I need to find out."

"I am not certain that this is wise, Olivia," Edward said, his voice wary.

"Only one way to find out," she shrugged.

Placing the cell to her ear, she answered it. "Hello, Barbara."

"Olivia," Barbara sighed down the phone. "Where are you?"

Olivia chewed down on her cheek. "I can't say," she responded, remaining vague. "Barbara, did you get out of the city? Have you heard from Jim?"

There was silence for a moment and Olivia considered hanging up as Edward loitered near her, listening into the conversation. "There was a shootout at the GCPD this morning," Barbara spoke. "Jim was involved in it. We think he might have been shot."

Olivia felt her blood run cold. "We?" she responded.

"Yeah…well…me and my parents," she said, but Olivia knew she was lying. She knew that something was wrong. She could sense it. "He hasn't been seen since it happened. I wondered if he had called you?"

"I haven't heard anything," Olivia said. "Listen, Barbara, are you out of town? You should be…you need to be."

"I…I was," she said, "but I came back. I wanted to talk to Falcone. I needed to talk to him because Jim doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve any of this. He is innocent and I…I just need to talk to you, okay? I just need to talk to you and make him see. Do you know where he is?"

"Barbara, what is going on?" Olivia demanded. "You're scaring me."

"Just tell me where you are," Barbara said. "Are you with Edward? Jim said you were friends."

"No," Olivia lied. "Listen, Barbara, I have to go."

Before Barbara could say anything else, Edward had snatched the cell from her hands and tossed it onto the side. He looked to Olivia, worry in his gaze as he moved quickly. He rushed to the kettle and pulled it from the hob, placing it over to the side. "We need to go," Edward said. "If they were tracing that call then they will know where you are."

"Okay," Olivia agreed, tugging her boots onto her feet as Edward reached for his trousers, slipping into them instead of his pants. He placed his shoes onto his feet and grabbed his coat as Olivia slipped into her coat.

Grabbing his car keys and wallet, Olivia grabbed hold of her satchel, slinging it over her body before moving with Edward. They took the elevator to the lobby and Edward led her to his car parked on the side of the street. Unlocking it, he climbed in as Olivia did the same. Starting the ignition, he began to drive, wondering exactly where he was going.

…

Olivia didn't know how long they had been driving for before Ed's cell began to ring in his pocket. Tugging it out from his pocket, he saw that it was Jim calling. Pulling over, he put the car into park and looked to Olivia, holding the cell in his fingertips and in between the two of them so that they could see the ID.

"Answer it…please," Olivia pleaded with him.

"Okay," Ed said and placed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ed, it's me," Jim said, a sense of relief coursing through Ed at hearing Jim. "Where are you? Everything is fine…I'm fine. Is Olivia okay?"

"Pretty shaken," Ed responded, "but fine."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Roger Dodger," Ed said and handed the cell to Olivia, listening in as she began to cry in relief that her brother was safe and well. He put the car into drive again and began to move as Olivia conversed with Jim and Ed couldn't help but feel uplifted at her joyful tone.

…

Looking around the penthouse, Edward almost felt out of his comfort zone. He kept his coat around him as Olivia moved ahead, her arms wrapping around her brother who stood in the foyer. A blonde, striking woman stood behind him, her eyes glimmering with tears. She wore a black top and a beige skirt, her figure emphasised beautifully. Jim was still wearing his suit, his hair mussed up slightly and a cut to his face.

"Olivia," Barbara spoke, her voice breaking as Olivia untangled herself from Jim and looked to the blonde woman as Ed remained in the background. "I am so sorry. I never wanted to call you, but Falcone thought that you would be the one who knew where Jim was hiding and he had a gun…this man…Victor Zsaz…he had a gun on me."

"Barbara, it is fine," Olivia promised her, moving to offer her some form of comfort, enveloping her in a hug. "Honestly, it is fine."

Barbara continued to sob as Olivia pulled back and Jim took over, wrapping Barbara into his arms and Olivia did her best to comprehend what she was seeing. She had never seen Jim comfort anyone else. Jim had always been a lone wolf, but now he had Barbara. Sure, there had been girlfriends, but none of them had been keepers.

Looking back to Ed, she realised she must look a fright. Her hair was still mussed up. She hadn't brushed her teeth. She hadn't even washed her face. But Ed didn't seem to mind. He looked just as dishevelled as she did. Motioning to the kitchen off the foyer, she walked side by side with Ed into the room, leaving Jim to comfort Barbara.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Ed," Olivia said. "I mean…the past day has been pretty busy."

"Exhilarating," Edward said. "I have found it rather exhilarating."

Olivia chuckled. "Well, it was something," she said. "Hopefully Falcone will leave Jim alone so we won't be here again."

"Hopefully not," Edward said. "Perhaps we could have dinner under normal circumstances eventually?"

"That would be nice," Olivia said with a nod.

"Thanks again, Ed," Jim said, making his appearance known in the kitchen as he tugged his tie down his shirt. "Barbara has gone for a lie down. She's pretty shaken up."

"Is she okay otherwise?" Olivia asked from her brother.

"She will be," Jim said with determination. "Listen, Liv, the guest room here is all made up. I think for tonight I would just prefer it if you stayed here, okay? I will drive you back to your apartment tomorrow…but tonight…just stay here, yeah?"

"But you said Falcone wasn't after you?"

"He isn't," Jim responded. "But just humour me, Liv, okay? I only have you and Barbara and right now I don't feel like letting either of you out of my sight."

Olivia shrugged. "Fine, I guess," she responded.

"Thanks, Liv," Jim said, running his hand down his sister's upper arm before looking to Ed. "Are you alright, Ed? I really don't know how to thank you for any of this. I think this goes beyond your job description."

"Well," Edward chuckled awkwardly, "I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it, but it proved to be an interesting experience. You have certainly reformed the GCPD, Detective Gordon."

"Not enough really," Jim said. "But thanks, anyway."

"I'll walk you to the elevator, Ed," Olivia said and Edward nodded.

"I will see you at work, Detective," Ed said, waving awkwardly before following Olivia out to the foyer and then the hallway near the penthouse. She didn't push the button for the elevator, instead she turned to look to Ed, pulling her coat tighter around her as she bit down on her bottom lip and looked up to him.

"Maybe…" Olivia trailed off. "Maybe there is a reason why Kristen Kringle is in a relationship, Ed. Have you ever thought of that?"

Edward's brow furrowed as he wondered exactly what she was talking about. One moment they were talking about Falcone and the next they were on about Kristen Kringle. How had the conversation changed so drastically?

"I don't entirely understand what you mean…" Ed said cautiously.

Olivia waved a nonchalant hand. "Nothing," she spoke. "Ignore me. I'm just tired and…I don't know what I am talking about."

"Are you sure? It seemed like there was something on your mind and-"

"-Honestly, it is fine," Olivia interrupted. "Listen, are you free tomorrow? Maybe we can grab brunch or something? It will be my way of saying thanks for everything you have done. I have no plans…I never do on a Sunday."

"I would like that," Edward nodded. "Besides, I have your cell at my place. I will bring it by tomorrow."

"Excellent," Olivia said, pressing the button to the elevator. "So I will see you tomorrow? I'd say I would text you when and where-"

"-I can pick you up," Ed interrupted her. "I will be back here tomorrow at about eleven. I know the best place for brunch in uptown Gotham. And…it will be a pleasure to have a normal meal, so don't worry about paying me back a debt."

"But I should. It is only right."

Ed held a hand up to keep her silent. "I am a ship that can be made to ride the greatest waves. I am not built by tool, but built by hearts and minds. What am I?"

Olivia let herself smile despite the riddle as the elevator pinged and the doors opened.

"I don't know," she answered.

Ed stepped into the elevator as Olivia leant against the wall next to it, her gaze set on him. He pressed the button for the ground floor and his face lit up.

"Friendship," he said. "And I like to think that I have yours, Olivia, especially now."

"Of course," Olivia smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ed."

"Have a good night, Olivia," he nodded his head and the doors closed.

Olivia let out a deep breath and turned on her heel, walking back to the penthouse and closing the door behind her. She locked it and bolted it, manoeuvring back into the living room to find Jim sat on the sofa, a glass of whiskey in his hands. Flopping to sit down next to her brother, she took the whiskey from his fingers and had a sip herself before handing it back to him.

"A trying day, eh?" Jim grunted and Olivia chuckled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she realised that she was still wearing her coat and Ed's clothes.

"Just a bit," she responded to him. "But Ed was really great. I get that he is an acquired taste, but honestly he was amazing during all of this."

"Was he really?" Jim asked, a teasing tone to his voice.

"Listen, there is nothing going on between us," Olivia said, nudging him in the stomach. "He's hung up over Kristen Kringle."

"But that doesn't mean that you don't like him."

"Jim," Olivia complained. "It's not possible. After everything I went through before I just want time to be myself and not rush into another relationship. I like Ed as a friend. Could I like him as more? Probably, but it won't get to that. Romance can ruin friendships."

"Very deep of you," Jim said.

Olivia shrugged. "But true," she said.

"You know that you could do ten times worse than Nygma, right? I get that he is annoying and loves riddles a little too much, but he's still a nice guy. What's wrong with nice guys?"

"So you're a nice guy, right?" she wondered from him.

Jim scoffed. "I'm complicated," he replied. "But I like to think that I'm a nice guy."

"Yeah, you are," Olivia promised him. "Listen, Jim, it's not my place to pry, but maybe you should go and spend some time with Barbara instead of sitting here and drinking and skulking. She seemed pretty shaken and she needs you."

"Yeah," Jim grunted, downing his drink. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm certain I am. I am your cleverer younger sister."

"Hah, hah," Jim muttered, placing the glass down on the coffee table. "Make yourself at home, Liv. Barbara told me she had put some spare clothes in the guest room before you got here."

"Do you mind if I use the washing machine? I should clean Ed's clothes before I give them back to him."

"Go for it," Jim shrugged. "And there's loads of food in the cupboards and fridge. Barbara might come down and make something later, but I doubt she will be hungry."

"I'll make a vat of something in case she does," Olivia said and pointed to the staircase. "Now go and be with her."

Jim saluted his sister and moved up the steps and towards his bedroom. Olivia remained sat in silence, folding her legs underneath herself as she laid her head down on the arm of the sofa. Closing her eyes for a second, she wondered back on what Jim had said. Ed was a good guy. He was a great guy and Olivia was slowly seeing that. But she knew that it couldn't materialise. They were bound to be friends and that was it. Friends were good. She hadn't had a friend in a long time. Not a friend who liked everything she liked or who she felt comfortable around. That had not happened in a long time.

…

Waking up in the large bed the following morning, Olivia almost didn't want to move. The mattress was plush, engulfing her body nicely and the duvet was thick and warm. Olivia had dozed on and off for an hour, finally admitting that she had to wake up at nine considering she was going out with Ed. She had managed to wash and dry his clothes the night before while cooking a vat of pasta with some tomato sauce. She had left some in a dish in the fridge for Jim and Barbara, but she hadn't seen the pair of them since the previous day.

She had spent the night on the sofa, a cup of tea in her hand while watching bad TV that she wasn't entirely focused on. She had closed her eyes and drifted off, only waking up to realise a show she hadn't been watching was on, indicating that she had been to sleep. She had managed to trudge to the guest bedroom, showering and brushing her teeth with thanks to Barbara and her hospitality.

"Good morning, Olivia."

Olivia turned her head over her shoulder as she finished dressing, tugging on a black long length skater skirt and white blouse that Barbara had leant her. She managed a smile as she saw Barbara stood in the doorway, a cup of coffee in her hands. Moving from the stool she sat on, she stood up, her arms by her side as she played with the pleats of the skirt.

"Morning, Barbara," Olivia responded. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better," Barbara spoke, a smile on her face. But it seemed forced. There were still bags under her eyes and her face was crinkling as she smiled. Everything looked fake. "Did you sleep well in here? I tried to make sure you had everything you would need."

"It was great, thanks so much," Olivia smiled back. "Thanks for the clothes too. I will wash them and bring them back as soon as I can."

"Don't worry," Barbara said, her hand dismissing her worries. "Anyway, I made pancakes if you want some? Jim is still sleeping and I don't think he intends to wake anytime soon."

"I'll have one," Olivia said. "I am supposed to be heading out with Ed later this morning."

"The riddle guy?" Barbara wondered as the two walked with each other towards the kitchen. "Jim talks about him sometimes. He said you two were pretty close."

"I wouldn't say we are that close," Olivia said. "I mean…he is becoming a good friend of mine, but we're not exactly overly close yet. Besides, he is just a friend. Jim knows that."

"I think he just wants you to be happy," Barbara shrugged. "You know how he was when you told him about Jack."

"I know," Olivia echoed. "But everything is fine. I am fine, really. Well, apart from being a bit worried for Jim's safety."

"You and me both," Barbara said as she entered the kitchen and indicated for Olivia to sit down at the island in the kitchen. She moved to pull out the pancakes from the top oven where she had been keeping them warm. Placing one on a plate, she set it down in front of Olivia at the already made place setting. "Olivia, I know we haven't entirely been best friends."

"I mean…you're nice, Barbara, I like you."

"But we've never hit it off," Barbara said. "And I know that might be because we are fundamentally different, but I need you to know that I really do love your brother, Olivia. Jim is everything to me."

"I know that," Olivia said, not picking up her cutlery as she suspected there was a tense conversation coming up.

"But he talks to me like I am not an equal in this relationship," Barbara whispered and Olivia sensed some fear inside of her. Fear that she was loosing Jim. "I know that he must have told you about our difficulties. He tells you everything…but…he just seems distant. I don't know what to do. Everything I say or do doesn't seem right or enough. Last night he…he was supportive…but he didn't feel like the Jim I fell in love with."

Olivia had to admit that she found herself growing uncomfortable with the direction of conversation, her appetite well and truly gone. She bit down on her tongue for a moment as Barbara continued to stare at her, seemingly longing for Olivia to have the answer.

"I don't know, Barbara," Olivia said as Barbara picked her coffee mug back up. "Jim is still the same man you fell in love with. He is just stressed. You know how his work can be. It is tough and difficult. He just…maybe he is taking that out on you? And I know that is no excuse and it isn't right, but it is the only thing I can think of."

"Maybe," Barbara agreed with her, shrugging her shoulders. "I just wish he opened up to me like he does to you."

"He should do," Olivia said. "I know that he should do, Barbara…and he will…maybe he just needs time."

"I just don't know how much time I can give him," Barbara whispered.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting in the small café, Olivia wondered what was going on, but she suspected that there was something wrong. She could sense that something was wrong from Barbara's tone when she had called her. She didn't sound right. She sounded scared and Olivia wondered why she had called her and not Jim. She had finished work at gone five and agreed to meet Barbara in the café in the higher end of Gotham.

Usually, it was a place where Olivia would rarely go to. She didn't eat in expensive places. She didn't do pricey. But Barbara was from money. She was so very different to Jim and Olivia that Olivia wondered how she had met her brother in the first place. She let her thoughts consume her for a few moments, but she soon was snapped from them when she saw Barbara enter the small, quaint café, sunglasses on her eyes. She pulled them up, placing them on the top of her head and Olivia noted the suitcase she wheeled behind her.

Gracefully, she dragged it behind her, her heels clicking on the floor as she came to sit across from Olivia, managing a small smile in her direction.

"Hi, Olivia," Barbara said, removing her gloves from her hands and placing them on the wooden surface. "Thank you for meeting me."

"It's fine," Olivia responded. "Are you going somewhere, Barbara?"

Barbara managed a small smile. "I need to get away for a couple of days…weeks…maybe," Barbara said to her. "I haven't been the same since the incident with Zsaz and Falcone. I wake up scared…and Jim…I don't want to speak badly of him, Olivia. He is your brother and he is my fiancé. I love him. Honestly, I do love him, but he…he just hasn't been the Jim I fell in love with."

Olivia gulped as a waitress came to take their coffee order. Olivia opted for a herbal tea instead, while Barbara asked for an espresso. Olivia peeled her long, red coat from her body, draping it over the back of the chair as she finally warmed up.

"I don't want to get involved in your relationship, Barbara," Olivia said to her. "I don't want to take sides because…well…I can't do it. What I can tell you is that I am certain…positive…that Jim loves you. He cares about you. He adores you. I just don't think he knows how to show it all the time. He doesn't know how to show compassion. He is used to being tough and strong. The things that scare him would probably terrify us. I don't know what to say, Barbara."

Barbara shook her head, holding a hand up and smiling softly. "I don't want you to say anything," she said to her. "I don't want you to pick sides or feel that you have to. Besides, Jim is your brother. He is family. I just want you to tell him that I needed to do this. I left him a letter, but I couldn't talk to him myself. I just couldn't face it."

Olivia nodded her head. "Okay," she said, not entirely feeling comfortable with what was happening.

"I don't like getting you involved," Barbara said. "But I just wanted you to look out for him. He isn't exactly…well…I don't know what he feels anymore, but I'm worried."

"You'll be back though, right?" Olivia checked, feeling slightly uneasy. "Barbara, you're not ending this with him, are you?"

Barbara placed a hand over her mouth as she shrugged, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. It was then when their drinks were delivered and Olivia felt a sense of dread take over her at seeing Barbara. She moved to her feet, unable to remain silent as Barbara sobbed. She moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders, holding her tightly as Barbara reached up to hold her arms. She tried not to create a scene, but anyone who dared to stare at them received a strong and harsh stare from Olivia.

"I'm sorry," Barbara said with a sniff as she held a hand up to apologise to Olivia. "I am so sorry."

"You don't need to apologise," Olivia promised her.

"I just don't know if it is working, Olivia," Barbara choked out. "I don't know if it is working, but I don't want to hurt him."

"Barbara, listen to me," Olivia urged from her, crouching down in front of her and holding one of her long, spindly hands in hers. "I know how you feel, okay? I know what it is like to be in a relationship and not be certain if it is the right one. Only you can make that decision. Only you can be the one to decide and if you need time away to make your mind up, then you need time. That is all there is to it."

"And Jim?" Barbara wondered.

"Jim is Jim," Olivia responded. "I will talk to him. I will try to get him to understand. He asked you to marry him, Barbara. He loves you. I am sure of it."

"I'm not anymore," Barbara replied, but then shook her head. "But I'll be fine. I will get through it."

"I don't doubt it," Olivia said, squeezing her hand. "You're strong, Barbara. You're stronger than you know."

"I just don't remember how to be."

"You will," Olivia promised her.

She went back to sit in her chair, the two women drinking their drinks as Barbara asked Olivia about work and made small talk. Barbara finally checked the time on the watch she wore on her left wrist. Nodding once, she moved to her feet. "I should call a cab and head to the train station."

"No need," Olivia said, "I'll give you a ride."

"You sure?" she enquired.

"Of course," Olivia replied.

Driving Barbara to the station, Olivia helped her get her case out of the trunk before handing it over to her. The older woman looked at her with an intrigued stare before she dared to move and hug her.

"Thank you," Barbara said. "Thank you for everything."

"You are more than welcome," Olivia said and moved to run her hands up and down Barbara's back. "Take care, Barbara."

"You too, Olivia."

Watching Barbara walk away, Olivia bit down on her lip as she saw her enter the train station. It was another moment before she reached for her cell and called her brother, knowing that she had to talk to him sooner rather than later.

…

Ed found that he couldn't stop thinking about Olivia. She was constantly on his mind, just as Kristen Kringle was on his mind. But Kristen Kringle was constantly angry with him. He had heard her gossip about how she found his riddles annoying. She had even said that she found him creepy. Ed had to admit that he was becoming slightly dejected, and so he had gone to Olivia. He had text her as he sat at his desk, wondering if she wanted to meet up with him.

She had replied almost instantly, telling him to come around to her apartment that evening. It had been over a week and a half since they had eaten brunch together and Olivia had called him during the week, telling him exactly what had been going on. And he noticed it. He noticed a change in Jim Gordon when he worked with him.

Jim's fiancée had gone off, leaving him alone and he had been spending more time in Olivia's apartment, not feeling that it was right to be in Barbara's penthouse when she wasn't there. Edward had said nothing to Jim, knowing that Olivia told him these things in confidence.

But Ed was more concerned about Olivia. She seemed to be upset for her brother, caring more for his relationship than any of her own. But then again, Ed knew that was Olivia. She put other people before herself. He had seen it happen plenty of times before. She thought of Jim first, herself second. She thought of Ed first, herself second. She liked helping people. Ed knew she was a people pleaser, but he also knew that he himself was similar. Perhaps not as similar, but he wanted to make people happy. But the way he did that was through impressing them with his knowledge. He wouldn't say that he liked to show off, but he enjoyed people being amazed by what he told them.

Driving to the address Olivia had given him, Ed had picked up a bottle of white wine on his way. He parked his car on the side of the road before he climbed out, locking the vehicle and then moving up the steps to the foyer of her apartment. He buzzed her number and she let him in. He followed the numbers until he came to hers, knocking on the door. She opened it after a moment, a smile on her face. Ed noticed she wore a dark red dress that clung to her body and came down to her knees. An apron was over the dress, stopping her from dirtying the material.

"Hi, Ed," she greeted him, bringing him into a hug. "It's good to see you. Come in."

"Are you busy?" he wondered from her. "I don't want to intrude if you if you have plans."

"Don't be silly," Olivia said. "I invited you here, Ed. I'm making us dinner."

"I didn't want you to go to any trouble, I-"

"-Ed, after what you did for me the other week, it is fine," she said to him, closing the door and locking it as she ushered Ed into her open spaced apartment. "I'm making lasagne, is that alright? I have homemade garlic bread too. I should have brought some wine…I only have rose."

"Good job I brought more wine," Ed commented, holding the bottle up as Olivia laughed and took hold of the bottle, looking at it.

"Excellent," she said. "I'll crack it open then."

Moving into the kitchen, Ed followed her and stood in the kitchen, pulling his coat off and placing it over the back of the chair as Olivia poured them a glass of wine. Handing a glass over to Ed, she took a sip of her own as Ed held the stem of the glass in his fingertips, swirling the liquid for a couple of moments.

"That is delicious," she commented.

"Glad you like it. I didn't know what you drank really," he said to her.

"This is perfect," she said with a smile, placing the glass down on the surface and then returning to making the lasagne. "If you wanted to go and sit down then I can handle this, Ed."

"No, I like cooking," Ed responded. "I can help."

"There is no need."

"I insist," he said, rolling the sleeves of the blue shirt he wore up to his elbow and dropping his hands to his hips. "So how can I help?"

"Well, I am making a vegetable lasagne, so you can start with the red peppers if you wouldn't mind?"

"Got it," he said and moved to take hold of the knife from the knife rack as she pushed over the chopping board and red peppers to him. He began to cut as Olivia continued making the pasta, the two of them lapsing into an easy silence before Ed spoke, looking over to her for a brief moment before going back to cutting.

"Miss Kringle is still dating that oaf," he said and Olivia bit down on her tongue.

"Is she?" she wondered from him, not wanting to tell him what she thought of Kristen Kringle.

"I confess, I do not know what she sees in him, but I keep hearing her talk about me," Ed said. "She thinks that my riddles are annoying and that I am well…slightly strange."

"She said to you?" Olivia demanded, her tone one of disgust.

"No," Ed said with a shake of his head. "She was talking to Jenny from archives. She didn't know that I was there. I mean, perhaps she is right? Perhaps I am a bit odd?"

"Ed, there is nothing wrong with you," Olivia told him. "Ignore her. She…Ed…I know you say that she is perfect and that she is the one you want to date, but maybe you should reconsider that? Maybe there is someone better for you out there?"

Ed nodded his head, gulping once and coughing into his fist. "Perhaps so," he agreed with a nod of his head. "That is why I have been-"

"-I mean, I know that I am not the best authority on dating," Olivia told him in a gentle voice. "And I know that I said I was working on myself, but sometimes when you meet someone…well…you wonder if you should just try again."

"Exactly," Ed said with haste. "And that-"

"-I met someone," Olivia interrupted him before he could continue, a sense of fear taking over her at what he might have said if she had let him continue to talk. "It was random. Really, it was weird…he was at the train station when I dropped Barbara off. He just bumped into me as I was getting ready to go and asked me for my number."

"I see," Ed said.

"Sorry," Olivia said. "Was there something you wanted to say? I just thought that I should tell you before we got settled. Besides, you're my only friend I can tell."

"No, it was nothing," Ed said, his eyes downcast and he knew exactly what he was thinking now. Kristen Kringle was the only one for him. It was fate. It had to be. What he felt for Olivia was purely platonic. Why did he think it would be something deeper? Why did he think it could be? She would never go for someone like him. She was only his friend because she pitied him.

"You sure?" Olivia double-checked. Strangely, a part of her wondered if he was thinking what she was thinking. Did he not feel a sense of something else? Did he not feel something more than friendship? Or was it in her head? Was all of it in her head?

"Positive," Ed said, a forced smile on his face as she finished making the pasta, rolling it thinly out. "So, you are dating again?"

"I wouldn't say I am dating again," Olivia responded. "He just asked me for a drink and I said maybe. I don't know if I am going to go really."

"You should," Edward responded, placing the knife down and reaching to sip on his wine. "You should just say yes and see what happens."

"I guess," Olivia said. "But after Jack I don't know if I want to dive straight back in."

"You don't have to," he said to her. "Why not go for a drink and just see how you feel? No one is forcing you to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. Besides, you can't live in fear, Olivia. You can't live in fear of someone else turning out like Jack."

"I know," Olivia said. "Sometimes these things are easier said than done, though."

"You have Jim, Olivia," Ed said. "Do you think that he would let anyone hurt you like Jack did? He would be there to stop him in an instant…just as I would do."

Olivia finished what she was doing then, her gaze turning to look to Ed as he stared back at her. Their gazes held for a few moments before Olivia turned her head away and Ed watched the back of her head, wondering what was going through her mind as she grabbed her glass of wine and took a sip.

"I don't know what to say," Olivia admitted to him. "I mean…thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," he said to her. "It's what friends do, Olivia. Friends stick with each other and look out for each other. They support each other."

"I mean, I don't feel as though I have been very supportive over your pursuing of Kristen Kringle," Olivia admitted to Ed. "And I am sorry about that, Ed. I just don't want to see you hurt by her, okay? I don't want you to get your heart broken by her."

Edward chuckled and held a finger up. "Don't worry," he said to her in a soft voice. "I am careful. I know that I have to be careful with Kristen Kringle, but everything will be fine. I am certain of it. Besides, what does everyone need, want, and ask for but never take?"

Olivia wrinkled her nose. "Again, you best me."

"Advice," Edward spoke. "And I appreciate yours."

Olivia's lips arched. "But you're not going to take it, are you?"

"I know that Miss Kringle would like me if she just gave me a chance," Ed said.

"I'll take that as a no then," Olivia said. "All I can do is be for you throughout this and I will be. You're a good friend, Ed…. you've done more for me than any of my other friends. Just promise me you will be careful, okay?"

"I promise," Ed said to her.

"Good," Olivia said.

"You never told me his name."

"Whose?" Olivia asked.

"The man who asked you out."

"Oh," Olivia said, finishing assembling the lasagne and placing it into the oven. "He's called Jason. Jason Lennon."

"And he was nice?"

"From the five minute conversation I had with him, yeah," Olivia shrugged. "Anyway, I'll text him tomorrow. Tonight, I was thinking we could catch up and maybe not think about being held hostage or kidnapped."

Edward nodded once as he saw her take hold of her glass of wine once more. "Sounds good to me," he said, watching her remove her apron as he contemplated just what he was thinking about the young teacher from Gotham.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia looked down in the dumps and Edward knew what was going on. He knew exactly as soon as he saw her what was wrong. Her brother had found himself in hot water in the GCPD and had been demoted to Arkham Asylum as a glorified prison guard. On top of that, he had gotten himself in the business of the Bruce Wayne murders and had been used as a scapegoat to cover up Dick Lovecraft's murder. Jim had long suspected that Lovecraft knew more than he was letting on, considering he was jealous of the Wayne business and appeared to have ordered for an eyewitness to be killed. Olivia had yet to meet this eyewitness who her brother was protecting.

He had taken her to Bruce Wayne's house and asked for her to be kept safe there. She was called Selina Kyle and Jim had said that Olivia would definitely not like her. Apparently she was rebellious and a bit of a know it all. Nevertheless, Olivia had urged her brother to stay out of the Wayne murder case, but she knew he wouldn't. Jim didn't stay out of things. He never stayed out of business he should. His sense of needing justice was bigger than anything.

Edward stood in the doorway of the restaurant for a few moments, looking over to Olivia as she sat at the table, her finger running around the rim of her glass of water. Pushing his glasses further onto his nose, he finally told the waitress who had come to talk to him that he was with Olivia. She guided him to the table and Olivia finally looked up and over to him as he moved to sit down across from her.

"Can I get you a drink?" the waitress asked Ed.

"Just a glass of orange juice, thank you," he said.

"Sure, I'll come take your food order in a minute," she said.

"Thank you," Ed said. He turned his attention back to Olivia and she managed a small smile in his direction. But Ed knew that nothing was okay. She was pretending. She had a look behind her eye that said that she was not okay. He bit down on his tongue for a second. "What is it?"

"I…" Olivia began, but she didn't know how to continue. Instead she placed her hand over her mouth and tried to stop herself from crying out loud. Where did she even begin? How did she even begin? She didn't know what to say to Ed. She had spent the past few weeks assuring him that everything was fine, promising him that she was okay. But it was a lie. It was all a lie. She was not fine.

"Olivia," Edward said her name, knowing that she was on the verge of some kind of breakdown. Clearly tonight was not the night to tell her anything about Kristen Kringle. Every time he tried to mention her, Olivia would go haughty and tell him that he deserved better and that he should move on. But that was easy for her to say. She had moved on. She had gone and moved on with some other guy who had taken her on fancy dates to places Ed could only dream of affording on his salary.

"Come on," Edward said and he moved to his feet. She looked to him as he moved behind her, taking her coat from the back of her chair. He held it up and Olivia stood up, letting him help her slip into it.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she sniffed.

"I know a good Chinese takeout. We can go back to mine," Ed said, "and you can tell me what it is that is going on."

Ed left a ten dollar bill on the table to cover both their drinks, not caring about the change. Olivia grabbed her satchel and slung it onto her shoulder, walking by Edward's side as he led her to his car. He had promised to give her a lift home that evening considering that she had walked from work. He held the door open for her and she slid into the seat. Closing the door, Ed wondered exactly what was going on.

…

Sitting on his sofa, Edward was amazed that Olivia did her best to pull herself together. He wondered if she knew that she had no need to do any of that. He didn't care about seeing her at her lowest. He thought that was what friends were for. He thought that they were there to see each other when they were struggling.

"He's going to get himself killed," Olivia whispered, struggling to eat any of her noodles on the plate in front of her as Ed twirled his around his fork. "Jim is going to get himself killed one day and then what do I do, Ed? What do I do without him? Every night he used to come home from the GCPD and I was…I was just thankful that he was alive. I was thankful…but now…without him there and in Arkham, I just don't know what is going through his mind. He's talking about inmates attacking people. He's talking about there not being enough guards to help."

"So this is about Jim?"

Olivia shrugged. "I guess," she said. "It's about everything."

"Everything?" Ed queried from her and she nodded her head.

"I'm not going to get Jim to stop what he is doing. He is always going to work in some type of law enforcement job and maybe one day he might be reinstated to the GCPD, but I don't want that. I want him to leave Gotham…get a normal job…"

"I don't think that is your brother, Olivia," Ed said to her and she scoffed, nodding her head.

"I know."

"But he has people looking out for him."

"He has no one at Arkham," Olivia said. "I mean, if anything ever happens to him then I don't know what I would do. It's almost like he doesn't seem to get it. We're the only family we really have left."

"Does Jim know this?" Ed asked from her. "Does he know what you feel?"

"He knows I worry," Olivia said with a shrug. "I don't think he knows how much I worry. It's not like I'm his mother, but I just need to look out for him."

"He's a good man," Ed said to her. "I mean that. He is a very nice man and I miss him at GCPD, but you need to know that he is his own person, Olivia. He will not stop because he believes in justice and fairness. He's convinced of it."

"Yeah, I know," Olivia said, placing her plate on the coffee table before reaching for her glass of wine. "It's all just a bit of a mess at the moment. He's still upset that Barbara has gone, but he just won't even call her. He seems to think there is no hope for them getting back together."

"And have you heard from Barbara?"

"Only a text to say that she is okay," Olivia said. "I never really got on with Barbara, but she was okay. She was fine and…Jim seemed to love her. I don't know, he just doesn't seem as cut up over her as I thought he might be."

"We all deal very differently with situations," Ed reminded her and she nodded then, agreeing with him as he finished his meal. "Regardless, Olivia, your brother will be fine. I do not doubt that. He is strong."

"I'm sorry, Ed," Olivia said, flapping her arms by her side as she pulled her legs up to rest underneath her. "I've been a complete spoil sport tonight. I don't know what's wrong with me, my emotions are all over the place."

"Are you hormonal?" Ed wondered as she almost choked on her wine at that question. She almost began coughing, but she restrained herself instead, looking to the coffee table as she placed her wine down. Ed's brows furrowed. "Sorry," he said. "Judging by your response that was maybe an inappropriate question to ask. It is just that sometimes I know that females-"

"-Yeah," Olivia interrupted him. "I mean, an intimate question, but yeah, I probably am hormonal."

"Then that would make sense. I suspect that your hormone imbalance is caused by-"

"-Okay," Olivia said, holding a hand up. "That's enough of that conversation, Ed. I don't want to think about my hormones. Can we just go back to talking about something of non-importance?"

"What like?"

"I don't know," Olivia shrugged. "Work, TV, the weather, just anything."

"How is Jason?" Ed asked and Olivia groaned, tossing her head back against the sofa and closing her eyes. Ed's brows furrowed as he looked to her with intrigue, wondering what was going on. He adjusted his glasses once again. "Am I not supposed to ask about that either?"

Olivia shook her head as Ed tugged his tie down his shirt and she refilled her wine glass. "It's fine," she said, pressing the glass to her lips as her other hand tugged her red dress down her thighs and Ed couldn't help but notice how it rode up her slim legs, dangerously close to revealing more thigh than Ed had seen before. He gulped once, moving his gaze from her tight covered thighs.

"I get the feeling it isn't fine," Ed said to her.

Olivia shrugged. "He's not exactly the guy I thought he was," she said to him. "I mean, he is pleasant and he is suave, but he is almost too suave…like…too confident. He makes me feel uncomfortable."

"In what way?" he asked from her as his voice grew with concern. "Olivia, has he…has he hurt you?"

"No," Olivia said quickly, shaking her head. "No, he hasn't, but he just has too much confidence and I don't like it. He laughs at times when I say things I don't think are funny and he…well…he sort of jokes about my job. I don't know. He says it's nice to date someone who has become successful on their own, not just because of their parent's money. But that just makes me uneasy. He's used to dating all these stunning, high flying women…so why pick some teacher to date?"

"Why would he not?" Edward asked from her, taking his own sip of wine. "Olivia, I think you underestimate yourself."

Olivia smiled sadly. "Your sweet, Ed," she said to him.

"I'm honest," Ed said, uncertain of how many glasses of wine he had drank as he moved to push one leg underneath himself and turn to look at Olivia. "Seriously, Olivia, you are so kind that he is lucky to date you. You…not once have you laughed at me. You laugh with me, but never at me. You treat me with more kindness than anyone ever has done."

"You're a great guy, Ed," Olivia said to him, reaching over to touch his arm. "And I've told you millions of times before, if Kristen Kringle cannot see that then she is blind and foolish."

Edward managed a small smile then, wondering what might have happened all those weeks ago if Olivia hadn't have told him about her dating someone else. He had been on the verge of telling her that she was right and that maybe he should move on. That maybe he had found someone. But was it true? Did he truly have genuine feelings for Olivia or were they there simply because she was the first person to have been nice to him in many years? He didn't know, but whatever he was feeling wouldn't go away.

"Kristen is so concerned with that imbecile she is dating, she doesn't even pay me much attention," Edward said. "I know that I can be better for her."

"I don't even doubt it," Olivia promised him and moved to squeeze his shoulder.

"And if Jason cannot see how great you are then he does not deserve you," he informed her.

"I don't know if it is him or me," Olivia shrugged. "Maybe I wasn't ready to begin dating again. Maybe I rushed in too quickly? I mean, Jason is a good guy, but I'm just not entirely certain I am ready for this relationship. Besides, he would never dream of doing something like this."

"Like this?" Ed wondered.

"Eating a takeout and drinking wine at home," she said with a shrug. "He likes fancy dining rooms and I just like cheap wine and good takeout."

"I do not see anything wrong with that," Ed told her.

"You know," Olivia said, swirling the wine in her glass, "he asked me to pick a bottle of wine from the wine list and I had no idea what to choose. I didn't even know how to pronounce some of the names."

Edward rolled his eyes and smirked. "Some of these places are so pretentious. Honestly, I'd have just laughed with you in that situation."

"Exactly," Olivia said, "but I don't feel like Jason would have. I feel more like he would have laughed at me. That's why I don't feel like he is the right one. At least I can say I tried, right? I tried and it didn't work out."

"So what are you going to do?" he asked from her.

"Just ask to meet him for coffee and tell him it isn't working out," Olivia shrugged. "Nothing else I can do really."

"So…it's over?" Ed asked and Olivia sensed a nervousness to his tone as he sipped on his wine. She arched a brow and shrugged, uncertain of what more she should say to him or what he was getting at.

"It's over," Olivia confirmed. "I just need to tell Jason that."

Edward nodded and coughed into his fist. "You'll find someone much better for you."

"Just as you will," Olivia said. "I'm convinced that Kristen Kringle doesn't deserve you. I just wish that you would see that too."

"Maybe," Ed said and Olivia wondered what was happening. She had no idea what was going on. She felt an awkward silence take over them as she moved to her feet and reached for her wine glass and the empty bottle of wine.

"I should call a cab and go home," Olivia said, feeling a rush of blood to her head as she took her empty glass to the sink and placed the bottle in the recycling. Ed stood up too and watched her move, hands going into his pant's pockets.

"You don't have to go just yet," he said to her. "I made this chocolate pudding yesterday and-"

"-Jim will be home from Arkham and I don't want him wondering where I am," Olivia interrupted, making the excuse up as she looked to Ed and reached for her dark red coat she had draped over his dining chair. "Anyway, thank you for tonight, Ed. You didn't need to-"

"-Are you running away?" Ed interrupted her and she looked to him with wide eyes, wondering what was going through his mind.

"What?" she wondered from him.

"Olivia, I know that we are friends, but sometimes-"

"-No," Olivia said, cutting him off from his sentence. "Ed, please don't."

"So you have felt it too?" Edward wondered from her. "Olivia, I know that this might seem strange and it might seem rushed and even I am questioning it right now, but I need to know if it is just me or if it is both of us."

Olivia said nothing then, moving into her coat. "We're both slightly tipsy," she said. "We wouldn't be discussing this if we were sober."

"And doesn't that tell you something?" he asked from her. "That we're both too scared to admit it without alcohol which, honestly, I find so very ridiculous because we are both adults."

"It's telling me that we're not thinking coherently," Olivia said. "Listen, Ed, I adore you as a friend and, yeah, maybe I have thought about you as something else. Isn't that natural? I mean, our minds wander and we think about different things, but I like you too much as a friend. I don't want to risk what we have right now for something that might not even work or might be a mistake."

"But you have thought about it?" Edward asked from her. "Olivia, you're not the only one. The things you say about me…how you make me feel normal when everyone else has made me feel anything but…you're different, Olivia and I wondered if it was simply because you are different why I think I might have feelings for you, but I haven't been able to shake them."

Olivia said nothing then, wondering how it was coming to this. How could it be coming to this so quickly? They had known each other a matter of months. Was that long enough for them to feel this way?

"We're drunk," Olivia said, shrugging her shoulders. "We're just drunk and that's why we are saying this. We'll talk tomorrow and everything will be okay. We'll be how we should be…friends…"

"Olivia," Edward protested as he saw her slip into her heeled boots, zipping them up.

"Ed, we are friends-"

"-Stop it," Ed urged from her, holding a hand up and sinking to sit down on the end of his bed. "Olivia, I get it. If you're trying to humour me by pretending to feel the same then don't. I don't want that. I just want you to be honest so if you are pretending then just tell me."

"No," Olivia said, sounding appalled as she moved to sit down next to him on the bed. "Ed, I am not saying this to humour you. I am being honest. I am telling the truth."

"Then what is it?" Ed wondered from her.

Olivia smiled sadly. "I'm scared, Ed," she admitted to him with a shrug. "It's not that Jason isn't right…well…it is that…but it's everything else too. I'm scared about falling for someone again, even though I know the chances are no one will ever be like _him_."

"And as I've said, Olivia, you can't live in fear all of the time," Edward said to her. "But I don't know where we go from here."

"We go forwards," Olivia said. "We go to sleep and we give it time to think coherently. We need to do that, okay?"

"Okay," Edward agreed with her.

"Good," Olivia said, her head still spinning as she patted his hand. "I'll go and wait for a cab and I'll call you tomorrow."

Moving to her feet, Olivia moved a hand to brush over Ed's cheek, the motion soft and tender before she pulled back and left the apartment. Ed let her go, the smell of her perfume lingering in his nostrils as she closed the door behind her and rushed away. He stared at the door and tugged his hands through his hair, wondering what they were going to do next.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Walking into her apartment, Olivia was shocked to see that Jim was already there. He had changed out of his guard's uniform and into a sweatshirt and jeans. He was holding a beer and had some late night TV show playing. Closing the door to her apartment, she locked it and bolted it, groaning as she rested her forehead against the door. Jim's brows arched on his forehead as he watched her, wondering what was going on as his sister let her fist bang against the door.

"What is wrong, Liv?" he asked from his sister and she turned around to see him. She ran her hands down her cheeks and Jim noticed that she looked slightly flushed, her eyes puffy. She was a combination of drunk and upset. Who had done that to her? Who had made her cry? "Olivia, who hurt you?"

"What?" Olivia wondered.

Jim pointed to her. "You're crying," he commented.

"No one hurt me, Jim," Olivia promised her brother. "I made a mistake. I made a really stupid mistake and I don't know how to make it right."

"What happened?"

"Ed," Olivia said. "Ed is what happened, Jim. He walked into my life and I know…I've known for a while that maybe I thought about him as more than a friend. I mean, how could I not? We spend a lot of time together and I feel something for him…I know I do."

"Christ," Jim muttered and placed his beer bottle down on the coffee table. "Olivia, I have nothing against Nygma. He is a bit odd, but he is harmless and he seems to care about you a lot."

"Why do I suspect there is a but to this conversation?" she asked from her brother and flopped onto the sofa as Jim sat down next to her. She shrugged her coat from her shoulders and let it fall behind her as she folded her arms over her chest, her accusatory glance turning towards her brother.

"But," Jim drawled, "would he not drive you mad?"

"He hasn't so far," Olivia shrugged. "I find him endearing, Jim. I understand him. He understands me. I can't explain it."

"Then why are you crying?" Jim asked. "If you feel this way about him then why are you crying? Did he knock you back?"

"No," Olivia sniffed loudly. "In fact, he did the opposite. He wanted to talk about it and I didn't want to. He was the one who wanted to know more…talk more…but I didn't. I don't want to ruin what we have. We are good friends, great friends, even. What if we ruin all of that?"

"And what if you never know the truth?" Jim wondered back from her. "What if you just live with regret?"

"I don't know if I want to try…I know that I want to break up with Jason, Jim," Olivia admitted to her brother. "We're not compatible in the slightest. Whenever I am with him I never feel comfortable or that I can be myself."

"Then break up with him," Jim urged from his sister. "Olivia, I don't want you with anyone else who doesn't treat you right, okay? You are my sister and I need you to be happy. I want you to be happy. If Ed makes you happy and treats you well then that is enough for me. It should be enough for you."

Olivia shook her head. "It's not," Olivia said in a whisper, "because, deep down, I know that he won't stop thinking about Kristen Kringle. Even if we did something about this, I know that Ed will always care about her."

Jim closed his eyes for a second and Olivia moved to sit on her knees, looking at her brother as though he held the answer that she needed. She looked at him like she used to do when she was younger and she wanted him to tell her that everything would be okay. At that moment in time, she looked exactly like that little girl.

"Don't I deserve someone who wants just me, Jim?" she asked from her brother. "Is that too much to ask? Someone who wants just me and won't hurt me?"

"Why the hell would you think anything differently?" Jim asked from his sister and she shrugged.

"Because sometimes I think that it might be me," she whispered in a gentle voice and Jim moved to hug his sister, holding her to him and assuming that wasn't the right time to tell her about Lee Thompkins.

….

Olivia felt like a coward. She knew that she should call Ed after what had happened, but she simply sent him a text to tell him that she wasn't feeling too well. She finished changing into fresh clothes and went grocery shopping before preparing dinner for that night. It was that night, when Jim got back from Arkham, when he told her all about Lee Thompkins. Olivia had been mystified when he said that he intended to go on a date.

"You're engaged," Olivia informed her brother, her voice low and slightly annoyed. "Does Barbara know?"

"No," Jim said to his sister. "Olivia, as far as I am concerned, our relationship is over. There is no more us…how can there be?"

"Jim, that is wrong!" Olivia snapped at her brother, feeling anger course through her at hearing him. "The last time I spoke to Barbara was when I dropped her off at the train station. She was very much under the impression that you were just on a break."

"And I haven't heard from her since," Jim responded. "She won't answer my calls. She is ghosting me. Why should she think we have any semblance of a relationship?"

"Maybe she needed time?" Olivia asked from her brother. "Maybe she just needed time to herself? It's not been that long, Jim…not really."

Jim shrugged. "It's been ages, Olivia," he informed his sister. "She seems to be under the impression that she can just run away without even talking to me. I don't know what she expects to happen. I can't wait forever for her to come back."

"No, but you can try to talk to her and tell her it is over before going and dating someone else," Olivia said. "What, did you just call her once or a couple of times?"

"Don't put this on me, Olivia," Jim demanded from his sister. "I tried to call her, but she wasn't picking up. She wasn't interested in anything that I said last time I spoke to her. I don't know what you expect me to do."

"Not this," Olivia said. "Leave her a voicemail and say it is urgent, or text her and say you need to talk. I just don't like the thought of her coming home and finding you dating someone else."

"Fine," Jim agreed with his sister, nodding his head at her. "I will try to call her again, but you would like Lee, Olivia. She is really nice."

"I don't doubt it," Olivia responded and continued chopping up the onions, her eyes closing for a second as she felt them water from the sting of the onion. "What I do doubt, however, is the fact that you have been able to move on so quickly."

Jim shrugged and leant against the worktop as his sister continued preparing the stir fry. He leaned over and reached for a bottle of beer from the fridge, pulling the top off of it and holding it in his hands as he did his best to consider what to say to his sister.

"I loved Barbara," Jim promised his sister. "I mean, she is a nice girl. Things haven't been the same in a long time though. Since coming back to Gotham things have been strained. I just don't know if we're compatible."

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know," she said to him. "I never saw the two of you together really. You were so different and I don't think Barbara ever really liked me. I mean, not really liked me."

"Don't take it personally," Jim urged from his sister. "She doesn't like many people."

"Great," Olivia said. "So what? You're going to take this doctor on a date? Where are you going?"

"Circus," Jim said and Olivia rolled her eyes at hearing her brother. "What?" he asked after her expression.

"Just not exactly the most romantic notion I have heard," she said to her brother. "I would have thought flowers and dinners were more your style."

"I'm evolving," Jim commented and Olivia scoffed, chuckling and rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, you can't be one to lecture me, Olivia. Have you spoken with Ed yet? Or have you spoken with Jason?"

Olivia bit down on her lip and poured some oil into the pan, letting it heat up and Jim took his turn to berate her, knowing that she was making things worse for herself. She had to talk to both of them and deal with the situation that they had been put in.

"I will call Jason tomorrow and tell him it isn't working," Olivia said. "I will talk to Ed eventually. I promise."

"Better be sooner rather than later, Liv."

…

Breaking up with Jason wasn't something that Olivia liked the idea of doing, but she knew that she had to. She had asked to meet him and he had told her that it would be great if they could meet her at his place. She had agreed to drop by after work and had taken the elevator up to the penthouse suite he owned. She looked around as the doors opened, the sight of his place enough to make her jaw drop. No doubt he wasn't joking about his riches.

He was waiting for her by the sofa, dressed in a smart black suit and holding a cell in his hands. He looked as though he had just gotten home from work, his coat over the back of his armchair.

"Olivia," he spoke her name in a soft voice, noticing that she wore a dark plum dress, her hair hanging in loose curls down her back. He had to admit that she looked lovely. She didn't hold the high air of sophistication that he usually went for. She was different. She was down to earth. She was charming and adorable. Of course, it helped that he knew who her brother was too. He had heard all about the ripples Jim Gordon had caused in the GCPD before he had been let go.

He had thought that maybe he could have used her knowledge. Maybe he could have used her to find out what the GCPD knew considering it had been so long since anyone had worked on his case. But then Gordon had been fired.

"Hi, Jason," Olivia said and he moved towards her, bending down to kiss her on the cheek, running a hand down her other cheek. "How are you?"

"Even better for seeing you," Jason said, putting on the usual charm. "So, how have you been?"

"Fine," Olivia said.

"Excellent," Jason said. "Let me take your coat and I'll get you a drink."

"Oh, thank you," Olivia said and she let him take her coat. She placed her bag down by the sofa as he walked into the kitchen, opening up the wine cooler and grabbing two glasses. "Your apartment is lovely, Jason."

"Thank you," he responded, pouring the liquid into two glasses.

Moving towards the kitchen and the breakfast bar, she saw Jason sit down on a bar stool. She moved to sit down on a stool too, perching on the edge of it as he handed her the glass of wine. He looked to her with intrigue, moving to sweep a strand of her hair behind her ear as he saw her cheeks turn slightly red. It never failed to entertain him, the way she looked whenever anyone complimented her or touched her. During their dates, he had always tried to brush his hand over hers.

"So," Jason began, "I was thinking that maybe you could stay over tonight and I could cook. I know that we haven't exactly defined what we are, but I would love to spend more time with you."

Olivia knew that she had to break up with him. She had to do this sooner rather than later. But she was perplexed. "Stay over?" she asked from him.

"Hmmm," Jason murmured and she saw him move closer to her, his lips slowly moving towards hers and she turned her head to the side, letting his lips rest on her cheek. "What is it?"

"It's just that I am not ready for this," she said to him. "I mean, I don't want to do that."

He looked rejected and Olivia instantly felt bad.

"Oh no," she said, holding her hands up. "It's not you, Jason. I promise. I am not ready for that with anyone. It's just that my last relationship ended badly. It ended really badly and I didn't think I would be able to move on."

Jason nodded thoughtfully, reaching for her hand. "You've been treated badly," he whispered to her. "People have hurt you in the past. I know that. I can see that. You don't deserve that…you deserve so much more…someone to love you."

Olivia's eyes widened and she looked to him, squeezing his hand as she knew now was the right time. "So do you, Jason," Olivia promised him. "Look, you're a really nice guy. You're lovely. You deserve someone better than me."

"No," Jason said to her. "I can give you what you want, Olivia. I can give you what you need…a broken little bird…just needing to be put back together. I know how that feels. I can help you."

"Jason," Olivia sighed his name. "You have been really sweet. You really have been, but I can't lie to you."

Jason sighed. "Is it Edward?" he asked from her and her eyes widened.

"N..no," she stammered.

"Because you are always talking about him that I can't help but think that maybe it is," Jason said. "So if it isn't him then what is it?"

"I'm just not ready for a relationship," Olivia shrugged. "I'm sorry, Jason, but it was really nice getting to know you, but I need to go. I need to go."

"No," Jason said and kept hold of her hand. She tried to slip away from him, but struggled, her fingers being held tightly by him. She stood up and placed her glass down before trying to escape again.

"Jason," she whispered his name. "I'm sorry."

"No," he said, this time squeezing her fingers very tightly and stopping her from getting away. As she tried to pull away from him, he yanked her back to him and Olivia recalled exactly how her previous relationship had ended. "I said, no."

"Get the hell off of me," Olivia snarled at him, her voice rising as she continued to try to pull herself free from him, but he was strong. He grabbed hold of her by the waist as he placed his glass down. Olivia shrieked loudly as she bucked against him, trying to free herself from his grip. He moved, bending her over the back of the sofa and keeping his weight against her as her hair fell in her face and she struggled for breath. He moved a hand over her throat, squeezing tightly until her breath went shallow and she became a dead weight.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Walking hand in hand with Lee Thompkins felt right to Jim. Nothing about the situation he found himself in was strange. It made him feel happy. He was so very happy. The fact that Lee seemed to feel the same way about him was even better. Jim had walked into Arkham with a smile on his face. He never thought that he would be happy to go to work, but he knew that he would see Lee. Their date at the circus had turned into a disaster. A murder had taken place, the snake dancer had been killed and her son had been the one responsible. Jim had promised to take Lee on another date, hopefully with no murders.

Nonetheless, Jim had to admit that he had been worried when he returned to the apartment to find it empty. He had frowned, wondering where his sister was. He had then checked his cell and seen that she had text him. The message was vague.

 _Jim, had to get away for a while. I'll be back soon._

Jim had tried to call her, but she wasn't picking up. He frowned, sensing that something wasn't right. Olivia didn't run away from things. She especially didn't run away when she had work. Did the school know that she had taken time out? Jim sat down on the edge of the sofa and tried to call Olivia again, but she didn't pick up again.

It was another five minutes before there was a knock on the door. Moving to his feet, Jim tugged his tie down his shirt and opened the door to see Ed stood there. He frowned for a moment before he nodded. "Ed," he greeted him.

"Jim," Ed said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose. "I am sorry to drop by like this, but…Olivia…I haven't heard from her in a while. Is she okay?"

"I…I don't know," Jim admitted to him. "You'd best come in, Ed."

Walking into the apartment, Ed closed the door behind him and shifted awkwardly as Jim perched on the edge of the sofa, dropping his head into his hands for a few moments. Edward remained stoic, his eyes settled on Jim as he sniffed, a scent of lavender from the reed diffuser filling his nostrils.

"Ed, I need to know exactly what happened between you and Olivia," Jim said.

"I…I don't know what you mean," Ed said, anxiousness apparent in his voice as he spoke. "Nothing happened between us. We just had dinner and talked and then she came home."

"Ed," Jim said, his voice cautionary. "You don't need to lie to me. Olivia told me what happened. She said how you both admitted you felt something for each other deeper than friendship."

"I see," Edward whispered. "Well, we had that discussion and she told me that she was going to call me, but she never did. I thought that I would give her some time. I thought that maybe she had made her mind up. I thought that she was letting me down gently."

"I don't know what is going on," Jim admitted. "I finished work to this strange text message with her telling me that she was going away for a few days. Olivia wouldn't go away unless she had to. She loves working. Teaching is what she loves."

"Have you called her?"

"I've tried," Jim said. "I've tried to call her, but it keeps going back to voicemail."

"You…you're not convinced she's gone away, are you?" Edward said, his voice full of worry as Jim shook his head. He didn't like this. He didn't like it one little bit. He wanted to go and find his sister. He needed to find his sister. Where could she possibly have gone?

"I don't know what is going on," Jim admitted, "but this isn't Olivia. This isn't her. I know my sister and she doesn't just disappear with some vague text message. Olivia tells me things…she tells me everything."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Edward wondered.

"We find this boyfriend of hers," Jim said. "She was supposed to go and finish it with him. We go and see if she did it. Jason Lennon is his name."

"I'll run his name at the GCPD," Edward declared. "I mean…considering you can't."

"Okay," Jim said. "Listen, Ed, you know that Arkham isn't what I want. I would come back to the GCPD if I could. Maybe one day, I will, but for now, you need to be the man on the inside. You need to be my man on the inside because…I have a sense about these things. I just need Olivia back."

"I know," Edward said with a nod of his head. "I…I feel…well…"

"I get it, Ed," Jim said, moving to his feet and clapping Nygma on the shoulder. "And if it makes you feel any better, you know, I think that I would have given you permission to date my sister if circumstances were different."

Edward almost choked, but he coughed into his palm. "Thanks, Jim," he said with a nod.

…

Lee Thompkins had wanted to meet Olivia Gordon. She had heard a lot about her from Jim. She sounded like a lovely young woman. But then Jim had told her what had happened. He told her how he thought something was wrong. He was worried for his sister and Lee couldn't blame him. She understood why he had cancelled date night with her to focus on finding Olivia. But then she had shocked him. She had done something that no one had done before. She had asked to help. She had asked to go with him. But then she had surprised him even more. She told him how a job had opened up in the GCPD and she wanted to apply for it.

"You know," Jim said to her, "the GCPD want me back after the Loeb incident. I told them that I would go back…I start again on Monday."

"Oh," Lee said, silently shocked but happy. "That is great news. When did you find out?"

"Last night," Jim said to her. "I would have mentioned it sooner, but I've been thinking about Olivia. I can't stop thinking about finding her."

"Hey," Lee said, moving to place a hand on top of his. "I get it."

"Nygma looked up all the Jason Lennons in the area," Jim said. "He said there were only three in the Gotham area, but here's the thing, none of them knew Olivia. None of them have any idea who she is. Whoever this guy is…he's not the man he said he was."

"So what do we do?" Lee asked from Jim.

"I'm retracing her steps," Jim said. "Well, Nygma is. The guy is a lot better at technical things than I ever have been. He is going to call me as soon as he finds something. I need to be ready to go…"

"We will be ready to go," Lee corrected him as she picked up her glass of water and took a sip of it. The two of them were in Olivia's apartment and Lee had noticed a photo on the corner on the desk. She stood up and moved towards it, Jim watching her as she completed the motion. She picked up the wooden frame and peered down at it. "You look young here."

Jim chuckled and moved to go and stand behind her, peering over her shoulder. "I was," he nodded his head. "I mean, younger than I look now."

"And Olivia? She looks happy here."

"She was," Jim nodded. "She was so happy to get her degree. I remember flying back to surprise her. She is always…well…putting others before herself. She said that I didn't have to come back if I was busy. I waited until the last minute before I came back home and she said it was the best surprise she'd had."

"We'll find her, Jim," Lee promised him. "She will be fine."

"I thought that," Jim nodded, "but now I'm not so sure. I mean, who is this guy she has been seeing? What if he is just like her ex?"

"You can't think like that, Jim," Lee chided him.

Jim scoffed. "It's difficult not to," he responded to her. "I wasn't here the last time to protect her and now I am here, but what use am I? If something has happened then-"

"-Stop it," Lee interrupted him, taking hold of him by the shoulders. "She is going to be fine. I promise you."

Before Jim could say anything in response, his cell began to vibrate in his pocket. He moved to peck Lee on the cheek before grabbing hold of his cell from the coffee table. He placed it to his ear, answering the call without hesitation.

"You found anything, Nygma?"

"Her cark is parked on 119 L Street Lower," Ed said. "I managed to get the CCTV as she climbed out of it and went down the street, but then she disappears. It's like she vanishes in thin air. I don't know where she could have gone. I can't understand it."

"I need that area cordoned off," Jim said. "I need the apartments in that area searched. She can't have disappeared, Ed, someone has to have seen her."

"Roger dodger," Edward said. "Can I come? I can help canvas the area?"

"Sure," Jim said. "And, Ed, thank you…for everything."

…

Jason was certain that he couldn't be caught. He knew exactly how to evade the police. He knew how to remain hidden in broad daylight. Ever since the surgery, he had possessed that talent. Women would sometimes throw themselves at him, but that was not unusual activity. They wouldn't even look at him if he had his original face. They wouldn't even bother.

But Olivia Gordon had been different. She had been so different. She hadn't thrown herself at him. She had been quite indifferent to him. But he suspected that had been because she had been nervous. She was so jumpy and nervous. He found it endearing. Instead of a woman fixing him, perhaps he needed to fix one of them? Of course, Olivia was struggling to see it that way.

"Olivia," he spoke her name and she finally peered over to him, her eyes wide as the gag remained in her mouth and her arms chained above her head, the locks attached to the bar from the ceiling. "I need you to keep quiet."

Olivia's brows knitted together then as he moved closer to her, his fingers clasping her chin and holding her gaze. He sighed softly as he moved his other hand down her hair, the motion soft and tender.

"Your brother didn't seem to believe the text message I sent," he said to her. "He's managed to trace your car and has the apartments in the block sealed off. He wants to talk to people…see if anyone saw you…"

Olivia tried to speak, but the gag prevented her from even being able to murmur anything, her voice strained and her throat aching. She squealed as he moved an arm around her waist, his hand moving from her hair to stroke her cheek soothingly. She tried not to cry, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"He's not going to find you," he said, his voice taunting and Olivia wanted to close her eyes and sob. "We're not done with our time together, Olivia. We have so much more to get to know about each other. We have so, so much more to discuss."

He moved to kiss her on the forehead and Olivia felt bile rise in her throat as he moved his hands from her and turned on his heel. She watched him walk out the room, closing the door behind him and locking it. Jason watched the door for a brief moment, a smile on his lips before he heard the intercom ring. He moved a hand through his hair and walked towards it, the face of Jim Gordon appearing on the screen.

"Hello," Jason spoke.

"Excuse me, sir, my name is Jim Gordon, I'm with the GCPD. Can I have a moment of your time?"

"Of course, come up," Jason said and he stepped back from the elevator, waiting for doors to open.

Entering the apartment, Jason watched as Jim looked around. Walking towards him, Jason offered Jim his hand. The detective took hold of it, shaking it tightly for a few second before showing him his badge to confirm his identity.

"How can I help, detective?" Jason wondered. "I've seen the block has been cordoned off."

"Yes, sir," Jim said. "We're looking for a woman. Her name is Olivia Gordon. Her car was found around here and she hasn't been seen since. This is her," Jim pulled out a folded photograph, the image of Olivia clear as day, dressed in a floral dress with a cap and gown. It was clearly an image from her graduation day. "Have you seen her at all?"

Jason looked to the photo and bit down on his bottom lip. He shook his head. "Sorry, detective," he said. "I don't recognise her. You said her name…Olivia Gordon…is she related to you?"

"My sister," Jim said. "And you're sure you haven't seen her?"

"No, sorry," Jason said.

"If you see anything…or remember anything," Jim said and pulled a card out and handed it over to him, "please call me."

"Of course," Jason said and escorted Jim back to the elevator, pressing the button. "I hope you find her, detective."

"Thank you, Mr…" Jim trailed off, waiting for his name.

"Jason Van Groot," he said.

"Jason?" Jim checked.

"Yeah," he responded with a nod.

"Sorry," Jim said. "It's just that my sister said she had been dating a Jason Lennon."

"Not a Lennon," Jason said. "But a Van Groot."

"Sorry," Jim said as the elevator pinged. "There was a Jason Dingham across the street too. I'm just on edge. As I said, Mr Van Groot, if you see anything or remember anything, please do give me a call."

"Of course," Jason said and watched as Jim stepped into the elevator.

He smiled once the doors had closed, knowing that he was safe for the time being.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Olivia knew that she had to be clever. If she was going to stay alive then she had to be intelligent enough to buy enough time to save herself. She knew that Jim had been canvassing the area, but that had been enough to shock her. Was Jim back with the GCPD? How had that happened? How many days had she been missing? She had lost track of time. Jason had kept her chained up in his hidden room and she had done her best to think of a way out. But it was soon dawning on her that the only way out would be to play the game.

She had to be clever for her brother. Jim wouldn't stop looking for her. She knew that. Her brother was many things, but he was not a quitter, not when it came to her. But then her thoughts would turn to Ed. What was he thinking? They had spent time together and they had admitted their feelings, but was there more to come? Was there more for them? Would Olivia ever find out? She couldn't think like that while she was with Jason. She had to think of getting away from Jason.

"When did my brother re-join the GCPD?" Olivia had dared to ask Jason after he had asked her to make him a roast dinner one night after she had promised to behave.

She was chopping up vegetables, her feet were bound, making it impossible for her to move any quicker than shuffling pace. She had her hands free, but Jason was sat at the breakfast bar, a gun by his hands, almost silently urging her to try something. But she didn't. She knew that the minute she tried something then he would kill her.

"The other week," Jason said to her. "He was reinstated and left Arkham."

"I see," Olivia said with a nod of her head. "And is he still looking for me?"

"Yes," Jason responded with a nod. "He is still looking for you. I have to say, his appeals are very convincing. He plays the worried brother role very well."

Olivia smirked down at the vegetables. This guy had no idea. He had no clue what he would do to make sure that she was returned safely.

"I'm sure he will stop looking eventually," Olivia said to Jason, turning her head over her shoulder as she remained confident, refusing to show him how scared she really was. He didn't want that from her. He didn't want her to be scared. He wanted to think that he had fixed her. She would let him think that. "Maybe you could let me write to him? I could send him a message and just tell him that I am alright?"

Jason didn't look entirely convinced by that. He chuckled and moved to his feet, shaking his head as his hands dropped to his hips. Sauntering forwards, he stood behind Olivia, arms wrapping around her waist and holding onto her. Olivia tried not to shudder and wonder what it would feel like to have Ed holding her instead. Placing his hands on her stomach, his fingers splayed and crunched up the white nightgown she wore that tumbled down to her knees.

"He will stop," he promised her in a soft whisper, kissing her on the side of her neck as she did her best not to wince. "But you would really do that? Tell him that you do not want him searching?"

"The more I think about it, the more I believe you," Olivia said in a whisper. "I think that I need to be fixed. I need someone stronger…someone who can save me from myself."

"And that is what I am trying to do, Olivia," he said to her, his voice sultry as he moved his hands up her bare arms, his fingers toying with the straps of the nightgown there. "I am trying to save you."

"I know," Olivia said, placing the knife down, her hands going to hold onto his. "But I think it will take time, Jason. I just need you to be gentle with me, okay?"

Turning her head over her shoulder, she managed a smile up to him and he looked down to her, nodding as he bent down to kiss her cheek. She turned back around, the smile dropping from her face as she went back to preparing dinner and plotting how to get away.

….

Jim had been dropped on the Grace Fairchild case, but his mind was on anything but that. Lee had suggested he search the bars close to where she was last seen alive and Ed had compiled a list for him. Jim had been sat at his desk while Ed had handed him the list and told him that he had even managed to find some of the hidden bars that were located behind dry cleaners. It seemed to be that they were invite only places.

"Has there been any news on Olivia?" Ed had asked Jim as he loitered by his desk and Harvey remained seated, looking to his partner with worry. He knew that Jim's mind was on Olivia. Work only came second to her.

"No," Jim said with a shake of his head. "After we finished searching the area, there was no one who had seen her. I…I don't know where to go from now."

"I was thinking," Ed said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose, "maybe we could hang up some posters? You know, missing person posters? Someone might recognise her if they have seen her around?"

Jim nodded once. "Might be a good idea, Ed," he said.

"I'll get on that right away," Ed said and scurried off as Harvey watched him go, intrigue taking hold of him at the sight of the man. Pointing to the retreating figure, Harvey looked over to his friend.

"And your sister is crushing on that guy?" he checked. "Seriously?"

"Hey," Jim said, "he has been good to her. He cares about her and treats her well…I mean, he treats her better than her ex ever did. I would have approved of the two of them being together. I think that Olivia would have been happy."

Jim moved to his feet and reached for his coat as Harvey did the same.

"Come on," he said, "we need to go and find out if anyone had seen Grace Fairchild."

….

Ed had been making the posters, his gaze set on Olivia as he saw her image on his computer. He had sat there and watched her for a few moments, his eyes focused on her intently. He wondered where she was and what was happening to her. His mind could only focus on Olivia and he knew that was ruining his relationship with Kristen. Truth be told, he hadn't thought that much about her. Instead he thought about Olivia and what she was going through.

He looked to his lunch box at the side of him on his desk and shook his head. Pushing it to the side, he lost his appetite as he heard a knock on the door to his office. Turning around, he saw Kristen Kringle herself walk in, cradling a stack of folders in her grip.

"Mr Nygma," she greeted him, "I have the autopsy reports you asked for."

"Thank you," Ed said.

Kristen went to place them on his desk before seeing the photo of Olivia that sat there. "Is that her?" she asked. "Is that Jim Gordon's sister?"

"Olivia," Ed corrected. She had a name. Olivia had her own identity. "That's Olivia."

"She looks a sweet girl," Kristen commented, moving to adjust her glasses on her face. "Is she the one you were friends with?"

"Were," Ed commented and looked to Kristen, his gaze moving from the image of Olivia. "You said were…like she is gone already…"

Kristen frowned. "I didn't meant that," she said to him. "I just meant that…the two of you…were…are close."

"We are," Ed corrected her. "She is out there. She is out there and she is alive. She has to be."

"I hope so," Kristen told her. "Anyway, I need to go."

Ed turned to look to her as she moved to sweep her hair behind her ear. But then Ed saw the bruises. Her sweater rode up her arm and displayed the large brown bruise forming on her pale skin. Ed's eyes widened and he moved to his feet, his hand going to her wrist to stop her from pulling it back down and hiding the sight.

"Who did this to you?" he asked from her.

"No one…he…it was an accident," Kristen blabbered and Ed felt an anger surge through him. "It doesn't matter. I can't feel it."

"Your boyfriend," Ed said. "Tom Dougherty. He did this, didn't he?"

"I said the wrong thing," Kristen said quickly and Edward shook his head.

"No," he said, "he shouldn't do this."

"Don't get involved, Ed," she said to him. "You have other people to worry about."

Looking to the screen, Ed followed her gaze. Olivia was staring back at him and he shuddered. What would she say? What would she do? She had been a victim to a man who had treated her badly. She might not like Kristen Kringle, but she would not like to hear her being treated like this. She wouldn't like it one little bit. And so, as Kristen Kringle scurried away, Ed swore that he would help her. He would help her because it was the right thing to do.

…

Standing in the morgue over Grace Fairchild's body, Jim looked down onto it. Lee was holding a file in her hands as she spoke, telling both him and Harvey her reports.

"It's odd," Lee said to them, "Grace Fairchild was missing for more than four months. With the abductions there tends to be a lot of trauma and abuse to her body, but there was none here. Except for the stab wounds to her heart and throat, her body is fine."

Harvey frowned. "That doesn't add up…unless…"

Jim dropped his hands to his hips. "Unless what?" he questioned.

"Have you ever considered that she ran away on her own steam?" Harvey wondered from his friend. "Maybe her going missing has nothing to do with her murder?"

"Maybe," Jim said.

"The findings would support that," Lee spoke.

"But…no," Jim said decisively. "No, Fairchild had a good job and a mortgage. She called her mother the night she went missing. She had a good life on the night she went missing. She had nothing to run away from. Whoever took her decided to do it…to keep her until the time was right…until she had served her purpose."

"So you think he kept her alive for all those months?" Harvey checked, but Jim was staring at Fairchild, his eyes widening as he spoke. Lee looked to him, wondering what he was thinking about as Harvey waited for a response that never came to him.

"Olivia," Jim whispered his sister's name.

Harvey frowned. "What about Olivia?"

"Isn't it odd?" Jim demanded. "Grace Fairchild's body washes up a week after my sister goes missing? She's been dead…how long did you say?"

"Well, I would go for two weeks, but-"

"-Is no one else seeing this?" Jim interrupted Lee. "He kept her for four months and then killed her at the same time my sister goes missing. How similar are they? They both have jobs and their own lives. They both have a stable life…she called her mother…Olivia calls me…is it coincidence that she goes missing as we find Grace?"

"What are you saying?" Harvey demanded. "You think that this guy is a serial killer?"

"I don't know," Jim responded.

"I think you are clutching at straws," Harvey decided.

"No," Jim said firmly. "Something isn't right here."

"Jim, maybe Harvey has a point," Lee said more tactfully. "Maybe you are just trying to reach conclusions? I know you want Olivia back. We all want that, but there is nothing to link them."

"There has to be," Jim said, a demanding tone to his voice. "There has to be something."

Jim stalked off then, leaving Lee and Harvey to watch as he left, knowing that he was a man on a mission.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

Jim was still convinced that whoever had killed Grace Fairchild had taken his sister and he was going to do everything in his power to find her. He had been talking to Harvey about it, stood in the doorway of the morgue as the older cop tried to convince the new rookie not to be so hasty in his assumption. Lee had urged Jim to come back down to the morgue after he had rushed off, telling him that they would find his sister quicker if they worked together.

"You might be jumping to conclusions," Harvey said to Jim. "Whoever killed Fairchild doesn't necessarily have your sister. It might just be a coincidence."

"Do you think so?" Jim asked from him. "Because what I am seeing is someone who has been-"

"-I am sorry to interrupt."

Jim looked behind and into the corridor as Ed stood there, his hands holding onto an evidence bag. Lee peered over their shoulders as Ed looked around, clearly wondering if he had interrupted something. Were they talking about Olivia? Did they have any new information. Looking to Jim, he saw the young man sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"What is it, Ed?" Harvey wondered as they moved into the corridor. Three sets of eyes found Ed as he adjusted the tie he wore against his patterned blue shirt, coughing to clear his throat.

"Is it Olivia?" Ed asked, unable to help himself. "Has there been news?"

"No," Harvey said before Jim could speak and launch into his theory. "There hasn't, but we'll keep you updated. Do you have something for us, Ed?"

"Ugh, yes," Ed said, trying to get back to his train of thought, his mind still on Olivia. "Technically this isn't evidence. All the evidence has been destroyed, as far as I can tell. Grace Fairchild is practically a lost cause, but I was able to find a photocopy of this in a log book. It is a broken heart…hand painted…I think."

Harvey stepped forwards and took it from Ed, looking down to it as his eyes widened and he bit down on his tongue for a moment. He took hold of the bag from Ed and ran a hand down his chin. "This was at the crime scene?"

"Yes," Ed said.

"This…exactly this?"

"Well, no a replica, this was a photocopy."

"No, Ed," Harvey said, his voice rising an octave as fear seemed to engulf him. He didn't need Nygma's rambling at that moment in time. "Not now."

"What's wrong?" Jim wondered, arms folded over his chest.

"Harvey, are you okay?" Lee interjected, slightly concerned as she looked to the older man.

"I warned you," Harvey said, looking to Jim. "I warned you so many times, but you didn't listen to me."

"What are you talking about?" Jim demanded from him.

"This guy isn't a novice," Harvey said and they all seemed to be slightly concerned. "This guy…he's…this isn't his first kill."

Jim's brow furrowed, arching on his forehead as he wondered what Harvey was saying. He stepped closer to his partner, his eyes narrowed and his chin tilted upwards. "What are you saying?" Jim asked from him.

"This guy takes young and single women and dumps their bodies around Gotham," Harvey said. "Each time he kills someone he leaves one of these at the crime scene," he held up the love heart and Jim frowned, biting down on his tongue as he glared at Harvey.

"So who is he?" he demanded from him.

"We don't know," Harvey said. "Some guys call him the Don Juan killer, but most call him The Ogre."

"I'm confused," Lee interjected, holding her hands up and shaking her head as she glanced to Harvey and Ed remained mute, gulping as he watched Gordon and wondered what was going through his mind. Was he thinking what Ed was thinking? "If you know about this guy and he is so famous then why has no one heard about him?"

Harvey shook his head. "It is the GCPD's secret," he said. "They can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Jim wondered, arms folded over his chest.

"Because he retaliates against anyone who works against him," Harvey said. "He kills the people that he loves. That is why he hasn't been caught, because no one has investigated him."

"Until me," Jim whispered.

"Which makes me wonder who asked you to investigate this," Harvey whispered.

"An officer," Jim said. "I can't remember which one, but I will know him when I see him."

"But why you?" Ed wondered, unable to keep silent. "Why would he ask you to investigate this crime? There has to be some reason? There has to be a reason for this."

"I know," Jim agreed and gulped, looking to Harvey. "Still think it is a coincidence now?"

"What?" Harvey wrinkled his nose.

"My sister goes missing the same week that this officer asks me to help out on this case?" Jim asked. "This isn't a coincidence, Harvey. There is a reason why I am working on this case."

"Jim-"

"-No," Jim interrupted before Harvey could continue with his speech. "The Ogre, whoever he is, knows Olivia. He knows Olivia and he wants to get to me and he can do that through her…my sister is being used against me and I need to find out why."

…

Harvey had flown off the handle as soon as Jim had pointed the officer out to him in the locker room. He had grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall, doing Jim's job for him. Lee had stood back with Ed, the two of them watching with worry as the scene unfolded. Edward had been unusually quiet, no riddles or funny comments. There had been nothing. He was clearly worried.

"It wasn't my idea, I swear," the officer said. "I was ordered to give you the case."

"Ordered by whom?" Harvey snapped through gritted teeth.

"Loeb," he said and Harvey let him. "It was Commissioner Loeb. He told me to tell you that I looked up to you and you inspired me. He told me to say that I wanted to help clean up the city and that this case was a part of that. He knew you wouldn't say no."

"So you followed orders like a good soldier?" Jim asked, mocking in his voice.

"You know what Loeb can do," he said and Harvey shook his head.

"Get out of here," Harvey said and the man scurried away.

Jim stood in the middle of the room as Edward sat down on one of the benches, hands clasped together as he leant forwards. Lee looked to Jim, longing to move over to him and hold him and promise him that everything would be okay. But she didn't know if it would be. She had no idea if anything would be alright.

"The Ogre can't have Olivia," Harvey was the one to say. "We only just started to investigate him. Olivia went missing before him."

"Unless he knew that this was going to happen?" Jim suggested. "Maybe he knew that we would be assigned the case and he took her before we could do anything?"

"Maybe," Lee said with a shrug of her shoulders. "But how could he have known? If it is true that Loeb set this up then he couldn't have told anyone about this plan. It seems unlikely that The Ogre could have got wind of this."

"Exactly," Harvey said.

Jim looked over to Ed. He had his eyes set down on the floor, his glasses slipping down his nose. He picked his head up as soon as Jim spoke his name, his eyes looking over to him. Jim looked interested in what he had to say. He looked as though he valued his opinion. That didn't often happen to Ed.

"What do you think, Ed?" Gordon asked from him.

"Me?" Ed checked, hand against his chest. "I…"

"Is it crazy?" Jim asked. "I know my sister, Ed. I know that she would never disappear like this. I…Olivia going missing and now The Ogre case. I don't think it is coincidental."

"Nor do I," Edward admitted and Harvey groaned as Ed shrugged and sat up straight. "What?" he asked from Harvey. "I know Olivia, not very well, I admit, but I have spent plenty of time with her. I do not think that she would have ran off like this and I agree with Jim. I think that it is no coincidence. I think that he must have got wind that Loeb would give the case to Jim. I think that he is clever…that rumours can spread in this city and he got hold of it."

"So what are you saying?" Lee asked from Ed. "You think that there is a mole in the GCPD?"

Harvey responded then, voice low. "There's moles everywhere in this city. If he got wind of Jim being given his case then he could have acted before anything happened."

"So what do we do?" Lee asked.

"I need to go," Jim said quickly. "I need to start finding this guy."

…

Sitting on the bed, Olivia had to admit that it was comfier than being chained up in Jason's hidden room. She had handcuffs stopping her from making a move, one keeping her to his bedframe and one on his wrist. Jason sat next to her, dressed in his pyjamas as he watched Olivia and she spoke to him, her voice soft and gentle as she smiled sadly and he kept a hand on her thigh, his thumb stroking the bare skin there from where her nightgown had ridden up.

"I never told anyone about Jack at the time because I didn't know who to tell," Olivia said to him, doing her best to play Jason at his own game. She would win if it killed her and she suspected that was Jason's intent sooner or later if she put a toe out of line. "Jim wasn't living in Gotham and he was working away…risking his life…I didn't know who I could tell. I have an uncle, but I haven't seen him in years. I remember whenever Jim called I would lie to him. I would tell him that things were fine."

"So you lied to him," Jason said and Olivia chuckled and shrugged.

"I guess," she admitted. "But in my mind it was easier to lie than to trouble him. I kept asking myself why I was too weak to leave him. I wanted to know why I kept going back to our apartment every night. Even in my mind it didn't make sense."

"Nothing ever does," Jason said and Olivia closed her eyes for a moment, leaning her head back. "He didn't treat you well, Olivia. You can see that now."

"I can," Olivia said to him, opening her eyes and looking over to him once more. "No one has ever really looked after me…except for you."

"Do you mean that?" Jason asked from her.

"Yes," Olivia said with a nod, trying to stop bile from rising in her throat. "I see that now, Jason…both of us…somehow we are both broken…wanting the same thing."

"And what is that?" Jason asked, clearly testing her.

"Love," Olivia said and she saw his face lighten slightly. "Unrequited love."

She had no time to do anything as she felt him move quickly, his lips pressing against hers. She let her hand ball into a fist as she dropped it into the duvet quilt, trying not to push him away from her. He pulled back after a moment, his hands holding her cheeks in his grip.

"You are perfect, Olivia…so perfect."

"I'm not," Olivia responded, shaking her head. "I only understand you."

"Better than anyone ever could," Jason said and he moved to lay down, dragging Olivia down with him. She rested by his side, letting him drape his arm around her as she remained handcuffed to the bed. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck and she did her best not to throw up as she closed her eyes and silently prayed for Jim to be on Jason's trail.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Ed wasn't convinced that Jim was doing the right thing. He was worried that the man was making brash decisions that would endanger Olivia. That was if the Ogre even had Olivia. Ed had gone about his work, thinking about her and praying that she would come back safe and sound. He wanted her to come back. He needed her to come back. He felt hopeless. Ed was not a detective, despite the fact that he was intelligent enough to help. He could only sit and wait as Jim ran around the GCPD and demanded to know who had worked on the Ogre case.

"Has there been any news?"

Ed had been working at his desk when he heard Kristen's voice enter his ears. He turned up to look to her, almost stammering as he watched her for a few moments. He was still smitten. He couldn't deny that. He looked at Kristen and he also felt a longing to protect her. But was it the same longing he felt when he saw Olivia? Did Kristen ever make him laugh like Olivia had done? Did she ever talk to him like Olivia did?

Shaking his head, Ed moved those thoughts from his mind and answered Kristen's question. He couldn't talk about Olivia in the past tense. She was still alive. She was fine. Ed had to think that.

"No," Ed said with pursed lips. "She is still missing."

He didn't tell Kristen about the Ogre. He didn't want to drag her into this business. He didn't want to drag anyone into it.

"I am sorry, Ed," Kristen admitted to him. "I know that she was important to you."

"Is," Ed corrected in a mutter as he went back to look at his computer and Kristen frowned. "She is important to me."

"Anyway," Kristen said, wrinkling her nose. "I want to give you the case file back and tell you that…well…Tom…we're fine now."

"No, you're not," Ed responded, not bothering to look back to her and listen to her lie to him. He had to protect her. He had to do something to help her, but his mind was back on Olivia and he was in a vortex of thinking about her. "You are fine for the time being, but I know that you will not be happy with him. He is cruel, Kristen."

"He has a temper and I knew that," Kristen said and Ed moved to look back up to her. "But we are going to work through things. I know that we can. We have to."

"No, you don't," Ed said to her. "You can end it with him and I would protect you. I would make sure that he didn't come for you or hurt you."

Kristen moved her glasses further onto her nose as she wrinkled her forehead, turning a slight shade of red as Ed realised what he had just said to her. He almost felt himself blush, but he didn't. Instead he went back to his work and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"That is sweet, Ed," Kristen said to him, coughing once. "But I don't need you to protect me."

"Just as well," Ed said and moved to his feet. "Because I couldn't protect her."

Ed swept from the room and Kristen watched him go, a sense of concern taking over her for him. She wanted to go and comfort him. She wanted to go and tell him that things would be okay. All she could actually do was stand there and watch him go, her mouth agape as she wondered how it might feel to have a man care for her as much as Edward Nygma clearly cared for Olivia Gordon.

….

Olivia sat on the bed that evening, her wrist cuffed to the headboard as Jason sat next to her, watching the TV that sat on the chest of drawers across from them. Jason had bounded into the bedroom, telling her how he was excited to tell her what he intended to do. But then he had placed his cell in front of him and dialled a number Olivia recognised. Jason pressed a finger to her mouth, urging for her to keep quiet as the phone rang.

"Gordon," he spoke and Olivia almost shouted in relief. It was Jim. Why was he calling Jim?

He kept his arm around her, stroking her hair softly as she played along, trying to stop tears from silently falling down her cheek as she longed to speak to her brother and tell her where she was.

"Detective," Jason answered, his lips pulled into a smug smirk as he watched Olivia for her reaction, trying to read her for any sign of weakness. She caught him staring and knew instantly that this was a test. He was testing her and she had to pass. "I didn't get a chance to say hello properly to you in the alleyway."

"Listen to me," Jim's gruff voice began to speak, "I-"

"-Don't bother tracing this, I won't be on the phone long," Jason responded.

"I will give you one chance to turn yourself in and give me my sister back," Jim said and Olivia felt her stomach churn. He knew. He knew that Jason had her. "You make me come after you and I will put a bullet in you myself. If you have hurt my sister then I swear to God I will make your life a living hell."

"Something tells me you have begun to buy your own press, Detective," Jason responded. "A hero cop who is going to clean up Gotham…the rising star of the GCPD."

"I'll stop you."

"No, you won't," Jason said. "Keep on the current course, Detective, and I will kill somebody who you love. This is your only warning."

He hung up then, tossing the cell to the bottom of the bed before looking to Olivia. She had been stoic throughout that entire ordeal. She hadn't budged. She had sat there silently, listening intently. But not once did she speak. Instead she looked to Jason once he had finished, her eyes wide.

"You're going to kill me?" she asked him and Jason smiled softly, moving his hand down her cheek as he looked at her.

"No," he whispered, his gaze searching hers. "There are other people who your brother loves, Olivia. I can hurt them instead…I met one of them last night."

Olivia's brow furrowed. So that was where he had been last night. "Who?"

"Barbara," he responded simply. "But don't worry. You're still the only one for me…I just need to make your brother stop chasing me down and then we can be happy together, can't we? We won't have him trying to ruin things for us."

"He is just doing what he thinks is right," Olivia said to Jason, her free hand going to cup his neck. "Jim isn't a bad person, nor is Barbara."

"Perhaps not," Jason commented. "But he needs to be stopped and I will stop him. I will do it for you."

Olivia forced herself to smile as Jason leaned in to kiss her. She did her best not to gag as she pulled back and he told her that he would be back in a few moments with a drink for her. Olivia remained tied to the bed, knowing that there was no way out. She was buying time. She was doing what she had to do to survive.

…..

"Do you think that was the best idea?" Ed demanded as soon as he saw Jim following his press conference outside of the GCPD. Harvey was on the phone and Jim was stood by his desk, clearly wanting to get going. "If you have angered him then who is to say he hasn't killed Olivia?"

"He hasn't," Jim said confidently. "He isn't going to hurt Olivia. If he has taken her then he has had ample amounts of time to kill her. I don't pretend to know why he hasn't, but I just know that he hasn't. He would have gloated about it…done it sooner…for some reason he has kept Olivia alive."

"And you are certain of that?" Ed demanded from Jim.

Jim sighed and moved to clasp Ed's shoulder. "Ed, listen to me," Jim said in a soft voice. "I know that you are worried for her. Hell, I am terrified, but you need to trust me. I am doing everything I can to bring her back."

"Got it!" Harvey suddenly called out and jumped from his seat as Jim moved his hand from Ed. "That was the doctor. The dead girl from the doctors…Julie Kimbel…came to the clinic by way of Constance Van Groot."

"Van Groot?" Jim checked. "They are one of the oldest families in Gotham."

"Yeah, we thought the Ogre might be rich, but it might be that the old lady had a son," Harvey said. "I have an address. We should get going."

"On it," Jim said and looked to Ed as he pulled his coat onto his shoulders. "Listen, Ed, I'll keep you informed."

Ed couldn't say anything else as he ran off with Harvey in tow, the two of them clearly determined to solve this case sooner rather than later.

…

"He is trying to get a rise from you, don't you see?" Olivia asked from Jason as she sat across from him that very same night after her brother had appeared on TV and told the Ogre that there would be no getting away from him. "Jim only appeared on TV to try and get you to make a mistake."

She had cooked a beef stew for dinner with vegetables. Jason had told her that he was attending a ball that evening and she had simply nodded and asked why. He had told her that he expected Barbara to be there and he needed to make his move. She wanted to dissuade him, but she didn't have the chance.

"He is an asshole," Jason said, placing his knife and fork down, leaving his stew. "He thinks that he knows me so well, but he has no idea. He has no idea who I am or what I can do."

"Jason," Olivia sighed, "Jim is hot headed. He is brash. He is hoping that you are similar to him."

"He will leave me alone," Jason said and moved to his feet, hands on his hips. "He isn't going to get you back. He isn't going to win. He…he will leave us alone."

"No, he won't," Olivia said in a soft voice as she moved to her feet too, moving closer to him. "Jason, I know you think that Jim will let us be, but he won't. IF you hurt Barbara then that will make him even more determined. It will make him even angrier. He won't back off."

"Yes, he will," Jason said.

Olivia scoffed, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "No, he won't," she said. "That isn't Jim."

"Why are you defending him? Do you want him to come?"

"No," Olivia lied. "You know that I don't want that to happen. I want you, Jason."

Jason sighed then as Olivia reached for his shoulders, holding onto him. "I know," he whispered back to her, enveloping her in his arms and kissing her on the forehead gently as she closed her eyes and shuddered at the motion. "I know, Olivia. I…but tonight…I have to do this…come tomorrow, everything will be as it should be. Tonight, I just need you to go into the room…until it is over."

"No," Olivia said, her mind going back to that room as she pulled back and looked to Jason as he walked her to it, his arm around her waist as she tried to dig her heels in and stop him from making her advance any further. "Jason…please…"

"I need you hidden," he told her and pulled the door open, the light shining in the space. "I'm sorry."

"No," Olivia continued as she struggled against him lifting her arms up to cuff her to the chain falling from the ceiling. "Jason…please…I will be quiet…just don't…"

"I can't take that chance," Jason said and Olivia almost screamed as he placed the gag around her mouth, but the ball in her mouth silenced her as tears ran down her cheeks and she struggled in the handcuffs. "Sh," Jason urged, wiping her tears away. "It will all be over soon. I promise."

She couldn't say anything back to him as he walked away, leaving her alone in the room in the dark, only her frantic breaths keeping her company.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

Edward hadn't been able to protect Olivia. He hadn't kept her safe when he should have been there. He was her friend and friends looked out for each other. Friends cared about each other and helped each other when they were in trouble. But he hadn't done that for Olivia. He hadn't been able to stop this man from taking her and doing, God only knows what, to her. Ed felt bile in his throat as he let his imagination take over him, sitting in the car outside of Kristen Kringle's house.

What happened following that was a serious of incidents that Ed didn't understand. He had thought back to Kristen earlier that day and had gone to confront Tom Dougherty. The conversation he had with the man had led Ed into a downward spiral. Standing in the precinct, Ed had tried to be brave, but Dougherty had taunted him. He had mocked him.

" _I'd heard you were keen on Detective's Gordon little sister…the missing girl. You see, did you ever get her, riddle man? Did you ever get a piece of her? It would explain why you are so hung up over my girl if you didn't. Did she not put out for you? You see…sometimes you just need to be tough…take them in hand and show them who is in charge. They need that. Your little Olivia might have needed that."_

Edward's grip on the steer wheeling had tightened, his eyes shutting tightly as he pictured all of the things he intended to do to Dougherty that night. He was going to give him a piece of his own mind. He was going to tell him exactly what he thought and protect Kristen Kringle from him. He was going to stop Dougherty from hurting her. He was tired of being a passenger. He needed to be more active.

But that didn't explain how it had escalated so suddenly. He had intended to warn Tom off. He hadn't intended to stab him. But Tom had come at him. He had come at him and had threatened him and Ed had taken the knife as a precaution. He had stabbed him once, but then once had become twice and twice had turned into a number of times. His hands were covered in blood as a manic laugh left him and he swore he had never felt so powerful in his life, listening to Tom Dougherty croaking his name and begging for help.

But Edward wasn't going to help. He was going to make sure that this didn't come back to haunt him. It couldn't come back to haunt him. He had bundled up Dougherty's body into the trunk of his car and drove off, knowing that he had to clean the crime scene and dispose of the body. He exhaled a sharp breath and nodded once. He had done the right thing. He knew that he had.

….

Olivia let out a deep breath as the door opened the following morning. She winced at the harsh light, her breathing suddenly becoming heavier as she felt exhaustion take hold of her. She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been chained up, but her limbs ached and her head felt light. Looking to the door, she kept squinting as she finally saw the figure stood there. But there wasn't just one figure.

Olivia tried to fight on her gag as she saw Barbara step into the room, Jason behind her. Barbara wore a fitted paste pink dress, her hair tied behind her head. Her makeup looked slightly smeared and Olivia noticed that her cheeks were red, tears flowing down them.

"You see why this is so hard for me, Barbara?" Jason asked from her as he sauntered into the room, hands in his trouser pockets and his head bowed. "I had intended to kill you instantly, but there is something about you that makes me think twice."

"Olivia," Barbara whispered her name and tentatively moved into the room as Olivia shook her head, pleading for her not to come in. "You took her?"

"No," Jason said, voice curt as he went to the desk at the end of the room and lifted the top of it open, revealing numerous photos. Olivia couldn't see what he was doing, unable to turn her head over her shoulder. "I did not take her. She is here because she wants to be here. She feels for me how I feel for her."

Looking into Olivia's eyes, Barbara knew that Jason was lying. The young woman looked frightened. She looked terrified beyond belief.

"All the others," Jason said, stepping between the two women, holding photographs. Olivia wanted to start crying at the sight of them, but she held her nerve. He held photos of women who were tied and gagged in the exact position she found herself in. They were terrified. Olivia saw that and she understood exactly how they felt. "None of them were like the two of you. They turned out to be disappointments to me."

"But why?" Barbara asked as he went to put the photographs away. "Why are we different?"

"I don't know," he admitted to her. "I just know that you two are truly unique."

"You…you should let her go," Barbara said, trying to sound braver than she felt as she watched Olivia. "Jim will be looking for both of us. If you give him his sister back then he won't care about me. We split up-"

"-Do you honestly believe that?" Jason interrupted her, moving forwards and taking hold of her cheeks in his hands, looking down at her while Olivia watched the scene unfold. "She is weak, Barbara. She came to me so that I could fix her…mend her…but you…you are exactly like me. You know what you are and what you can be. You know pain and anger. You know what it feels like to be seen as a monster. I understand that."

"Okay," Barbara said with a fervent nod, "yes…I see that….but Olivia…let her go."

"I can't do that," Jason said with a shake of his head, turning back to Olivia as he moved a finger down her cheek, tracing her cheekbone before sweeping her hair behind her ear. "There is something between us, Barbara. I can't explain it."

Barbara said nothing as he leant forwards and kissed Olivia's forehead, turning around to look at her as he shrugged. "I need time," he said with a sigh. "I need time to understand what it is I have to do."

Olivia chewed down on the inside of her cheek as he took hold of Barbara's hand and led her from the room. The Gotham socialite turned around to look to Olivia, her eyes wide as the two women seemed to come to the realisation that they had to do something before it was too late.

…

Disposing of Dougherty's body hadn't been as difficult as Ed had perceived. Apart from being interrupted by Kristen, all of the evidence had been destroyed. He had gone back to the crime scene and cleaned. His car was immaculate and his clothes had been dry-cleaned. He had done it. He had been successful. He had walked through the precinct towards the end of the day when he saw Jim and Harvey grabbing their coats. Looking to the scientist, Jim lifted his chin up, indicating for him to come to them.

"We have an address for The Ogre," Jim said to Ed. "Apparently he frequented this back street bar and one of the girls escaped him. Get this, it's the same address as a man who I interviewed when Olivia first went missing."

"How?" Ed wondered from Jim.

"I don't know," Jim said with a shake of his head. "All I know is that he now has Barbara and my sister so we need to go."

"Yeah, we don't have much time to waste," Harvey said, swinging his car keys in his fingers as Ed nodded and coughed into his fist.

"I am coming," he said and began walking beside Jim and Harvey, not caring that his coat and bag were in the lab and he still wore his lab coat.

"No, Ed-"

"-With all due respect, Detective," Ed said to Jim. "She…I need to help her."

Jim merely nodded once, not bothering to argue with Ed. It wouldn't get him far. The three of them rushed to Harvey's car, climbing in as Jim called for potential backup. Driving through Gotham, Ed tapped his foot nervously, his mind now moving to Olivia and how he would find her. He had no time to think of Tom Dougherty. It seemed like an age before they pulled up outside of the apartment building, Harvey and Jim pulling their guns out and moving into the building.

Ed kept a few steps behind, his gaze wide and his eyes flitting around as he stepped into the elevator besides them and Jim pressed the button for the machine to start moving. Once it had stopped, the door opens and revealed a large penthouse, Harvey and Jim walking in with their guns in front of them.

"GCPD!" Jim yelled out loudly as Ed followed, looking around for any sign of life.

He entered behind the two of them as they moved through the penthouse. Gulping, he heard no sign of noise except for the two detectives shouting for anyone to show themselves. Frowning, Ed looked around before noticing something that didn't look right. On the wall there appeared to be a crack. Jim walked back into the room and Ed pointed to it, Jim's gaze following.

Slowly, Jim stepped forwards, his hand moving to the wall and pushing on it, revealing some kind of hidden door. Keeping his gun raised, lights automatically went on and Jim's eyes widened as he looked to the centre of the room.

"Olivia," he whispered her name.

Rushing into the space, Jim saw his sister's face up close, tears forming in her eyes as he reached for her, seeing her struggling to stand up. His arm went around her waist as Ed followed him into the room, horror going through him. She wore a short, white nightgown, her arms covered in bruises and her hair matted. Her eyes were hooded and her mouth gagged.

"Ed, get in here," Jim demanded from the scientist who stopped his staring and did as he had been told.

"Hold her for me," Jim demanded and Edward took hold of her waist as Jim moved to unlock the gag from the back of her head, tossing it to the floor. She gasped for breath loudly, coughing and spluttering as Jim looked for something to cut through the handcuffs with.

"Olivia," Jim said to her, moving to stand in front of her as she looked to him. "Are you okay? Did her hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Olivia said as Edward kept supporting her weight, her body pressed against his. "Jim, he has Barbara. I don't know where he has taken her, but they left not long ago."

"I'll get onto it," Jim promised her as Harvey entered the room. "I need to get you down first."

"Jesus Christ," Harvey whispered, looking around the space, eyes widening and mouth gaping at the equipment on the walls. "What is this?"

"He is into BDSM, remember?" Jim sniped. "See if there are any keys to get her down, would you?"

"In the drawer," Olivia said to him. "He keeps a spare pair there."

Harvey went to the drawers, fishing around for a few seconds before grabbing a set of keys, tossing them to Jim. Standing on his toes, Jim fiddled with the lock before finally the key turned and released his sister. He grabbed hold of her before she could fall, taking her weight from Ed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and Jim finally closed his eyes, hearing her sob as he picked her up.

"I've got you," Jim promised her, leaving the room and holding her tightly, cradling her to him. "Olivia, I've got you."

"I know," she responded in a whisper once he was out of that room, sitting on the floor by the elevator as he let her rest. "Jim, you need to go and find Barbara."

"But you-"

"-No," Olivia interrupted him. "Go and find Barbara now."

"I'll send for an ambulance," Harvey said. "Backup should be here by now. We can leave some cops to guard Olivia."

"And I will be here," Ed said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose. "I am not going anywhere."

"Go," Olivia pushed her brother and he reluctantly cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Olivia," Jim said to her. "I'm so sorry."

"You found me, Jim," she responded in a hushed tone. "You have nothing to apologise for, so go and save Barbara."

Jim moved then, leaving Olivia sat in the hallway as Edward took his place, kneeling besides her and looking over to her. Her eyes found his as he struggled to think of what to say, the sight of her enough to scare him into wondering what had happened.

"You came with them," she observed and Ed nodded his head, gulping once.

"Of course," he spoke, peeling his grey lab coat from his body and moving around her, helping her pull her arms into it, hearing her grunt in pain under her breath as he pulled it across her body. "You're my friend, Olivia."

"After that night…when I left…"

"We don't need to talk about that," Ed said to her, remembering how she had told him that she didn't know what she wanted from him. "I'm here now, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," she said, relief coursing through her as she made a move to hug him tightly.

Edward remained with her through everything. He sat by her side as the paramedics checked her over and asked her where she wanted to go. She told them that she wanted to go home and Ed had asked if she had her keys. She told him that Jason had kept her bag in the kitchen cupboard and they should be in there. He had found them, letting the officers and forensic team incoming keep the bag, minus her house key.

An officer had taken them back to hers and Ed had opened the door, helping Olivia into the house, an arm around her waist as she still wore his forensic coat. He had left her to shower, asking her to place the clothes she wore in a bag in case they needed them for evidence. She had nodded, tossing the bag onto the kitchen table once she had finished her shower and changed into pyjamas.

"Have you heard from Jim?" she asked him and Ed finished making her a cup of herbal tea as she sat on her sofa, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"Not yet," Ed responded, placing the mug down on the table in front of her. "I am sure he will be fine."

"I…I don't know what Jason was going to do," Olivia said in a whisper. "He said that Barbara was just like him. It was weird, Ed. She…she looked scared and I couldn't help her. I couldn't stop him."

"It is not your fault," Ed responded to her and she snorted.

"I should have done more."

"Olivia, you were chained up in his torture room. There was nothing that you could have done," he reasoned with her. "He…I wish that I could get my hands on him, Olivia. I want to kill him for what he has done to you."

"Join the line," Olivia whispered.

Looking to her, Ed didn't know how to approach the topic and ask her exactly what had happened. He was scared. He was scared to know the truth. Instead he let out a deep breath and leant forwards, hands clasped together as he looked at the steaming mug of tea.

"Olivia," Ed whispered her name, biting the bullet, "did he…did he do anything…to…to hurt you?"

Olivia closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, tears falling down her cheeks as she sensed Ed looking at her.

"He kissed me," she admitted. "He…there were times when he tried to take it further, but I dissuaded him. I told him that I wasn't ready and I played along with his game. I acted how he wanted me to act…I said things to him that made me feel sick and I kept thinking that he was going to see through me. I kept thinking that he would find out the truth, but all I wanted was to stay alive because I knew Jim would be looking for me. I just…I was just scared, Ed. I was just so scared."

Edward instinctively went to wrap his arms around her, holding her to him as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, her own arms snaking around his waist as he let her nestle against him, inhaling the scent of her strawberry shampoo. Resting his chin on top of her head, Ed did his best to focus on the weight of her in his grip.

"You're safe," Ed whispered to her. "Olivia, you're safe now."

"Stay with me," Olivia pleaded with him. "Ed, don't go…please…I don't want to be alone."

"I have no intention of going anywhere," Ed told her. "I promise."

She nodded against him then and adjusted her body, leaning against his side as Ed wrapped his arm over her shoulders, letting her rest. The two of them lapsed into silence, Ed's mind working overtime as he kept thinking about how close he had come to losing Olivia. He never wanted to feel that pain again.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Ed watched Olivia leap to her feet as soon as the door opened. In walked Jim, closely followed by a woman Olivia had never met before. Ed remained seated on the sofa, his hands holding his thighs as he watched Olivia launch herself at her brother. Jim caught hold of her by the waist, enveloping her into his arms and holding her tightly, one hand moving up to cup the back of her head.

"It's alright," Jim said in a soft whisper. "Everything is okay."

"Barbara?" Olivia simply spoke her name.

"Safe," Jim promised. "He had taken her to her parents house…killed them…forced her to watch. She is in hospital and she is safe. He is dead, Olivia. He's gone."

"I should go and see her," Olivia said and Jim shook his head, pulling back and looking her in the eye, moving his hands to her cheeks, holding them gently. "She was with me, Jim."

"Not tonight," Jim said to his sister. "She is resting, Olivia. You can go and see her tomorrow. You need to rest too, okay? You need to sleep."

Olivia nodded once, seeming to accept what her brother was telling her. Jim moved slowly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her tightly against his side. Looking to Lee, Jim managed a soft smile as she stood there, her arms dangling by her side. Her hair hung down her shoulders softly, her gaze tender and her lips curling upwards slightly.

"Olivia, this is Lee…who I told you about before all this," Jim said, knowing that now probably wasn't the best time to introduce the two of them, but Lee had insisted on driving him home considering he was exhausted.

"It's nice to meet you," Lee managed to speak. "I'm sorry about everything that happened."

"I…it's nice to meet you too," Olivia managed to say to the woman, uncertain of how she should react to her brother's latest girlfriend. She assumed the two of them were officially dating now. She didn't know, but she would find out in time. Jim would tell her everything.

"Lee is a doctor and after everything that had happened I thought that you might need someone to talk to," Jim said to his sister, trying not to babble.

"I'm not a psychiatrist," Lee said with haste, holding a hand up. "I'm just a medical doctor, but…well…I have some basic training. That's not to say that you have to talk to me, but if you want to then I am here."

"Thank you," Olivia said gently, not entirely sure if she intended to take Lee up on her offer. She didn't entirely know how to respond to everything that had happened. For that moment, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep.

"No worries," Lee said. "I should get going and leave you two. You need to rest."

"Yeah," Jim agreed with her.

"I suppose I should get going too," Ed said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose as he contemplated everything that had happened in the past few days. He needed time to think. He needed to know what was gong to happen to him.

"Do you need a lift home, Ed?" Lee asked him.

"Please," the scientist nodded and stood on his feet.

His gaze met Olivia's and he looked to her as she peered down, folding an arm over herself as Jim kept her in his grip. She kept her gaze on the ground, her hand moving up to push her hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, Ed," she managed to say to him, "for staying with me…for everything."

"I…I'm sorry," Ed said and Olivia looked up to him as Jim looked down to his sister and let her go from his grip, sensing that she needed a moment with Ed. He nodded to Lee and she held her hand out to him, stepping out of the apartment and leaving the door ajar.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked him and she saw him gulp, a look of hesitance take over him. He looked back to her and shook his head. She didn't need this right now. She didn't need his problems on top of her own. She had just been kidnapped and saved. She had been sent back to him. He should be relieved. But he kept thinking about what he had done to Officer Dougherty.

"Because…well…things might have been different if I had acted differently," he said and Olivia's brows furrowed together. Her pyjamas crumpled on her body as she held herself. "I could have stopped him from taking you."

"Ed," Olivia spoke softly, "you couldn't have stopped this."

"I could have," Ed said. "I should have done better. I should have helped you…stopped him from taking you."

"No," Olivia said to him, this time slightly more forcefully. "Ed, stop blaming yourself. This is no one's fault. Listen, it has been a long day. Why don't we talk tomorrow when we have both had some sleep?"

"Yes," Ed agreed with that, inhaling a sharp breath. "I have a lot that I need to talk to you about. I trust you, Olivia. I…I trust you more than I have trusted anyone before."

"Ed, is something wrong?" Olivia asked him as his gaze flitted around her. She watched him intently, sensing that there was something amiss. She knew that Ed was usually odd, but he was acting even odder than usual. It was like there was something he was hiding, but he was too scared to say what it was. He finally managed to look back to her.

"No," Ed said and moved his hands around his body, "well, I mean, yes, obviously, you…what happened…it is on my mind…"

"I'm fine," Olivia assured him, moving a hand to his arm. "I'm okay now."

"Yes…if you're sure."

"I'm sure," she promised again and stood on her toes, pressing her lips to his cheek as she embraced him briefly. "Go home and get some sleep. I will see you tomorrow."

"Of course," Ed nodded and coughed, still feeling the sense of her lips lingering against his skin. He pulled back and adjusted his glasses once more before stepping through the door. Olivia watched him go as she saw her brother embrace Lee, kissing her goodnight. Stepping into the night, Lee and Ed walked back to her car together, Jim stood by the door and making sure they got to the car safely.

Once he had done that, he stepped back inside the apartment and locked the door, bolting it too. Looking to his sister, he managed a small smile, trying to reassure her that everything was fine. Everything would be fine now that his sister was back home with him. Sitting down on the sofa again, Olivia flopped back and pushed a hand through her hair, leaning her head back against the sofa.

"I should have gotten to you quicker," Jim said to his sister. "I should have found him sooner."

"No," Olivia said, "you got to me as soon as you could, Jim. I…I knew that you would be looking. I knew that you would never believe that I had just gone…upped and left."

"I tried to track down the name of the guy you had been dating, but he had different names," Jim explained to her, pulling his tie loose and unbuttoning his top button of his shirt. "I only started to put the pieces together when I got on The Ogre case."

"I know," Olivia said, turning her head to the side to look at him. "He started dating me initially to keep tabs on you, but then he said…he said all these things about me being lost. He said how I needed saving and how he could be the one to save me. I played along, Jim. I played along with everything that he said because I didn't know what else to do. I figured it would keep me alive…that if I kept him happy and acted how he wanted me to act then I would stay alive."

"You…you're clever, Olivia," Jim said to his sister. "You're smarter than I am. You did this by yourself, but you shouldn't have had to."

"Jim," Olivia sighed softly, "I don't want to spend anymore time listening to anyone blaming themselves…not you, not Ed. This was no one's fault but Jason's."

"But it-"

"-Ah," Olivia interrupted, holding a hand up to silence her brother. "Stop it," she demanded from him. "Jim, I just need you…I…that's it…I just need you to stay here for a little while."

"I'm not going anywhere," Jim promised her and she nodded, reaching for the blanket she kept on the arm of the sofa. She tugged it over herself, draping it up to her shoulders before leaning against Jim as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You know that we need to take a formal statement from you, don't you?"

"I'd figured as much," Olivia said, sounding sleepy. "I have the clothes he gave me bagged up on the table…if forensics need them."

"I'll take them in the morning," Jim said. "But…just tell me if he…did he hurt you…in any way?"

"No," Olivia said, "well…he…I told Ed what happened. He just kept me chained up for the most time. He kissed me, but he never went further than that. I kept him at bay the majority of the time. I told him the right things to get him to stop."

"Jesus," Jim mumbled, a sense of disgust going through him. He felt a lump in his throat, the mere thought of someone touching his sister enough to sicken him. "Olivia, I don't know what to say."

"There isn't anything to say," she assured him. "He is gone and we are safe. That is all that matters now."

"But it might be healthy for you to talk to someone too. Lee is good, Liv, she can help."

"Thanks, Jim, but I am fine."

"You were kidnapped, Olivia," he spoke, "it is okay not to be fine. You don't need to pretend with me."

"I just…if…I can't let him win, Jim," Olivia said and Jim heard her voice turn hoarse. "If I break down then he wins and I'm not letting someone like him break me."

"You're not broken, Olivia," he promised her. "He isn't going to break you, but it is okay not to be okay."

"I know," she responded. "But I want to be okay."

"And you will be," Jim said, "but it might take time…no matter how much time…I'm going to be here, Olivia. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," she said as Jim ran a hand down her hair and she kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Jim."

"I love you, Olivia," he said to her. "Get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

….

"How is she doing?"

Ed had been working while Jim had entered the GCPD with Olivia in tow. She walked closely by his side, her red coat on her body and covering the green dress she wore over thick tights. Her hair hung limply down her shoulders and she had a long red scarf around her neck. Jim was dressed in his usual smart suit. He guided his sister into an interrogation room, but for protocol reasons, he couldn't interview her.

He had gone to his desk and sat down on the edge of it, folding his arms and looking to the room, waiting for Harvey to finish the interview. Ed had found Jim by his desk and had gone over to him.

"She's…she's coping, I think," Jim said to Ed. "I don't know, Ed. She thinks she has to be strong so that he hasn't won, but I know that it will take time."

"What she has gone through is traumatic," Ed stated the obvious.

"Yeah," Jim simply scoffed. "I'm going to take her to see Barbara after this. She's insisting. I'm going to take the rest of the week of work too, just to spend time with her and be with her."

"I think that is sensible," Ed said. "I was hoping that I could come by tonight to talk to her, but do you think that might be too much?"

"No," Jim said, "it will be normality and she needs normality. Besides, she cares for you, Ed…like…a lot."

"Yes, well," Ed said, coughing awkwardly. "Likewise."

It was then when the door opened and Harvey came out with Olivia. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she managed to smile up to him and moved to her brother. Harvey threw Jim a wink and went off in the direction of the locker room.

"Everything okay?" Jim asked his sister.

"Fine, I think," she said to him.

"We should get going then," Jim said, "if we want to make visiting hours."

"Okay," Olivia said and turned to Ed, "will I see you today?"

"I was going to stop by after work if you fancied dinner…or…just…well…anything."

"Dinner would be nice," Olivia said.

"I'll get out of your hair this evening then," Jim said and Olivia felt slightly awkward. "See you later, Ed."

"Good-"

"-Detective Gordon!" a voice called up to Jim's desk and Jim saw an officer in uniform. He looked to Jim, hands on hips as he spoke. "Have you seen Officer Dougherty?"

"Tom?" Jim checked.

"Yeah," the officer responded.

"Not in a few days," Jim admitted, "but I haven't really been keeping track of the officers on duty recently, Warrens."

"Yeah, sure, of course," Warrens said and looked slightly embarrassed. "It's just that he hasn't been in for a few days and his girlfriend Kristen said she hasn't seen him."

"Kristen Kringle?" Olivia asked before she could stop herself and Ed felt his cheeks warm up.

"Yeah," Warrens nodded.

"I don't know," Jim said, not entirely concerned with an officer who had probably been ill or simply didn't fancy coming into work. "Have you been to his home?"

"No, tried calling and he didn't answer."

"Then go and see if he is home," Jim said, "if not then ask Harvey to help you deal with it. I have the rest of the week on leave with other matters. Harvey will help, yeah?"

"Thanks, Detective," Warrens said and left.

"I thought that Kristen was dating someone else?" Olivia asked of Ed and he shrugged as she saw his gaze flitter around again. There was something going on with him. She knew that. There was something odd.

"She broke up with him before dating Officer Dougherty," Ed said.

"He's probably gone on some last minute holiday and couldn't be bothered to turn in or call in. It happens more than you would think," Jim said nonchalantly.

"Probably," Ed said and Olivia watched Ed push a hand through his hair. "I should get back to work…I…well…I have things to do."

"I'll see you tonight, Ed."

"Yes…tonight…" Ed said and scurried off.

Jim led Olivia to the exit as she kept her gaze on Ed's back, knowing that something was wrong. He was hiding something from her. He had turned jumpy as soon as Dougherty and Kringle had been mentioned. He hadn't looked at her and he had struggled to form a sentence. Olivia frowned. Something was wrong and she would find out what.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

Jim only left once Ed arrived at his sister's. He told her that he would be back that night, but he wouldn't rush home. He would take his time and let her spend time with Ed. His sister had gotten it into her mind that something was going on with Ed. Apparently he was acting weirder than normal, not that Jim could tell. He suspected that there had always been something there between his sister and Ed. At first, he wondered if it might just be friendship, but then it had changed. His sister had become even more interested in Nygma and Nygma seemed to care for her.

As annoying as Ed was sometimes, Jim knew that he wasn't a bad person. He was a good man who cared for Olivia more than any of her ex-boyfriends ever had done. Perhaps she could do worse than Nygma? Then again, Jim doubted she was even thinking about dating right now. It would be the last thing on her mind and Jim could not blame her for that. Right now, he suspected she needed Ed to put whatever feelings he had to the side and just focus on being her friend. Then again, that might not be too hard for Ed considering he was still crushing on Kristen Kringle apparently.

Patting Jim on the shoulder as he bypassed him, Ed managed a small smile before closing the door and seeing Olivia sat on the sofa, dressed in a long sweatshirt and sweatpants, her hair tired up in a ponytail. Her face was blotchy red and Ed could tell that she had been crying again. Moving to her feet, she dropped her hands to her hips as she saw Ed holding up the bag of Chinese takeout.

"I didn't think you would want to cook," Ed commented.

"You're a saint," she said and Ed walked with her into the kitchen. She pulled out her wine glasses and poured them a glass each of the white wine from the fridge. Ed pulled out the takeout boxes and handed her one as she swapped that for the wine. They took their food back into the living room and sat on the sofa, Olivia draining her wine and placing the empty glass on the coffee table.

"You drained that quickly," Ed commented as she began eating.

"I know," she responded. "I was thirsty and…well…it might make me sleep this evening."

"Have you not been sleeping?"

"Not well," she responded. "Every time I close my eyes I can see his face. Jim's been great though. He won't leave or go and stay at Lee's. He insists on being here. Honestly, I feel so pathetic."

"He's a good guy," Ed nodded his head once and took a bite of chow mein. "What happened to you was horrible, Olivia. That's nothing to be ashamed of in the slightest. You went through a terrible ordeal and you know that."

"I know," she responded in a gentle whisper. "But it still…I just feel like there are people who have gone through worse than I have. I got off lucky, didn't I? All of those girls who he took and killed…I saw their photos…I saw what they looked like and it was horrible, Ed. It was horrific."

"He was a monster, Olivia," Ed said, daring to move his hand to hold her arm as he placed his food down onto her coffee table. "He was an evil monster and he got what he deserved. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You did what you had to do to stay alive and that is nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know," Olivia said and placed her food down, running her hands over her face before peering to Ed. "Jim has asked me to talk to Lee about it. Apparently Barbara has asked to see her."

"She's not a psychiatrist, is she?" Ed asked, brows knitting together as he moved a finger to push his glasses further up his nose.

"No," Olivia said, "but she said that she knows some things and Jim is insisting."

"It might not be a bad thing," Ed said to her. "It might help you."

"Maybe," Olivia said with a shrug of her shoulders, "but I don't want to talk about that, Ed. I want to talk about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you," Olivia said and folded one leg up to her chin, her arm hooking around it as Ed leant back and drummed his fingers on his thighs. "I know that something is going on, Ed. What was that about at the GCPD when Jim asked you about Kristen and her boyfriend. You went all twitchy."

"Did I?" Ed asked, adjusting his tie against his chest.

"Yeah," Olivia said, "just like you're acting now."

"I'm not."

"You are," she responded. "What is it, Ed?"

"Nothing," Ed replied. "Well…I mean…I found out about what was going on in their relationship. He was abusing her, Olivia. He was hitting her."

"My God, that's horrible," Olivia said, her voice low and gentle as she placed a hand to the side of her face, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Is she okay?"

"She is fine now," Ed said. "I spoke to him and told him to stop or I would tell the police. I think that woke him up and he left town."

"He…he left?" she checked, frowning as she leaned back against the arm.

"I assume so," Ed said. "He just skipped town and left."

"Wow," Olivia said, "you must have sounded really threatening, not that I can imagine it, but you must have said something that worked. But why not just say that earlier?"

"I don't want to get involved," Ed lied, knowing that the truth would only end in trouble. But he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell Olivia exactly what had happened. He wanted her to know, but he didn't know how to tell her. Besides, he knew that it wasn't right to burden her. She had gone through so much and she didn't need this. She didn't need his baggage. "I just want it to end, Olivia, I just want all of it to end."

She didn't pick up on the double meaning behind his words, but she moved a hand to his, holding his fingers inside of hers as she smiled at him. "It will," she promised him. "But maybe just tell someone that you think he has skipped town because of what he did?"

"I will tell Kristen."

"I would also tell Jim," Olivia said to him and continued to rest her cheek on her kneecap, looking to Ed as she shrugged her shoulders. "It would stop them looking for him if they think he has skipped town out of shame because you confronted him."

"But what if they think…" Ed trailed off and she saw him gulp and push his glasses further up his nose with one finger. It took another second before he spoke, his voice low and on edge. "If they think I did something to him."

Olivia managed a soft smile then and picked her head up. Turning to look across to him, she shook her head slowly and softly went back to rest a hand on his arm. Ed looked down at the contact, feeling something stir inside of him. Could he trust her? Of course he could trust her. He just couldn't burden her.

"Ed, no offence, but you're not exactly a guy who could do anything to him. You're too nice," she said. "Just tell Jim at least. Jim will be fine with it."

"I guess so," Ed said to her, knowing what he had to do. He had to make it look like Tom had skipped town. He had to make his disappearance look normal. He could do that. He could write a letter and send it. "Anyway, let's not talk about that."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know," Ed admitted.

Olivia sighed, pulling her hair from its ponytail and wrapping the bobble around her wrist. "Ed, you don't need to treat me like I'm fragile. I'm not going to break…we can talk about anything. We used to talk about everything and anything."

"Well, I can do that," Ed promised her. "You know I can talk about anything and everything."

"I know it," she said with a soft smile as she longed for some normality.

….

Lee drummed her fingers against the top of her desk in her apartment as Olivia sat on the other side of the desk, hands clasped together as she leaned forwards. Barbara had just finished speaking to Lee after insisting that it be her who she talk to. Lee had been apprehensive. She was not psychiatric doctor. She didn't have great training in that area, but she had told Barbara that she would help. Jim had left his sister with Lee as he insisted on driving Barbara home before coming back.

Olivia had gone with her brother to Lee's not wanting to be alone and wanting to visit Barbara who had been discharged from hospital that morning.

"I know that Jim wanted me to talk to you," Lee said, tucking her dark hair behind her ear as Olivia's lips quirked upwards.

"I guessed that was why he insisted on leaving me here while he took Barbara home," Olivia said with a gentle glance to Lee.

"I'm happy not to talk," Lee said to her. "I mean, not talk like therapy, but just talk…well we can talk about what happened, if you think it might help."

"I don't know if it will help," Olivia said. "It's…it's the dreams."

"You're having bad dreams?"

"I can see him," Olivia whispered to her. "I mean, I can see him whenever I go to sleep. I close my eyes and he is there. I'm…I want to sleep. I am so tired all of the time, but sleep scares me."

"You know that it helps to talk about the dreams," Lee informed her. "If you talk about them then that can help…and…I know this is going to sound really unhelpful, but you need a relaxing routine before sleep. If you are going to sleep feeling anxious and worried then that is more likely to cause the nightmares."

"It is the same nightmare all of the time," Olivia said to Lee. "I'm in that room again…chained up…and I can hear Jim and Ed. I can hear them but I can't yell. I can't yell for them because I am gagged and then they leave. They never find the room. They go and I am still there. I woke up screaming the other night. Jim found me…he's been…well you know he's been staying at mine. I'm sorry about that."

"You have no need to apologise," Lee said to her. "He is your brother and you need him. But the dream…you are imagining the worst, as we all do from time to time. I know it is difficult, Olivia, but you need to remember that Jim did find you. He found you and he saved you. You need to tell yourself that each night."

"Will they go away?"

"Eventually," Lee said to her. "It will take time, but you can conquer them. I…I am here to talk about it. We can talk about it as often as you want to."

"Thank you," Olivia said. "I just don't know if I am ready to delve deeply into it."

"That's completely fine," Lee said. "Well, how about we get a drink? Your brother is probably stuck in traffic. He could be a while."

"Sounds good."

"Herbal tea," Lee said. "If you are going to start relaxing, may as well start now."

"And can we talk about something other than what happened?"

"We can talk about anything you want to talk about."

…

Jim had been dying to find out how his sister had been while he had left her with Lee. He had hoped that the two would talk. He knew that Lee was a good listener. She could probably give better advice to his sister then he ever could. Driving back to her apartment, Jim held off from questioning her, instead he told her about Barbara and how she was holding up.

Entering the apartment, Jim went to grab a glass of water, handing one to his sister as she sat down on the sofa, curling her legs underneath herself. Jim sat next to her, the covers and pillows for the pull out bed in the corner of the living room ready for Jim to use.

"I am amazed you held off so long in quizzing me," she said to her brother. "I know you left me with Lee so that we could talk."

"How was it?"

"Fine," Olivia said. "We didn't talk that much about what happened. I didn't want to…but…we talked about other things. She is nice, Jim. She is lovely, really…I mean, I liked Barbara, but I never connected with her that much."

"Do you think that you will with Lee?"

"Don't know, but it was a good start," Olivia said. "And she is really clever."

"She is," Jim agreed.

"And she has great hair."

"She's great," Jim said. "In general."

"I'm looking forward to getting to know her," Olivia admitted and Jim placed his glass down on the coffee table. He looked over to his sister as she yawned and leaned her head back against the cushion of the sofa. "Anyway, I have something to tell you. Ed said that he thinks that Officer Dougherty has skipped town."

"Why didn't he say anything to me?" Jim asked his sister. "I had Kristen Kringle come to me today and tell me that he had sent her a letter saying as much."

Olivia sighed and shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Ed said that he had gone to threaten Tom to stay away from her. Apparently he had been abusing her and Ed went to put a stop to it. Anyway, next thing he knows, Dougherty has skipped town. I think that he was worried about telling you because…well…it might look suspicious."

"What?" Jim asked and then pieced it together. "Ed thought that we would think he had done something to him? Ed? Are we still talking about the same Ed?"

"I know," Olivia said. "But you know what he is like. He is a worrier."

"That he is," Jim said. "Although he has been keeping an eye on you so he has gone up in my estimations."

"He is a good friend. I need a good friend right now," Olivia shrugged. "He text me and asked if I wanted to go out tomorrow night…nowhere fancy, just for a drink and food. I told him that I would go."

"Good," Jim said, knowing that his sister had to try to get back to normal.

"And I was thinking of going into work on Monday…to see how things are going."

"Are you sure that you are ready?"

"As ready as I will ever be," she shrugged. "I just…well…will you stay for a few more nights?"

"Of course."

"I know it is silly," she said. "I know he is dead and you have your own life and I am too old to be babysat, but I just like knowing that you are here when I wake up."

"Hey, you have no need to make excuses up," Jim promised her, moving to placed a hand on her arm, holding it softly. "I'm here, Olivia. I'm here for as long as you need me."

Moving to wrap her arms around her brother, she held onto him as he wrapped his own arms around her.

"I love you, Jim."

"Love you too, Liv," Jim said and kissed the top of her head. "Now how about we watch some crappy late night TV show before bed? We used to do that all the time as kids."

"Sounds good," she responded and uncurled herself from Jim's side, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders as he reached for the remote and turned the TV on. Looking down to his sister as she kept her eyes on the TV, Jim longed for her to doze off, hoping the noise of the TV would be enough. Thankfully, it worked. Half an hour into the show, she was asleep already. Jim moved to his feet and uncurled her from his grip.

She protested in her sleep, but Jim managed to pick her up. Carrying her into her bedroom, he laid her down and took her shoes from her feet. Grabbing the blanket from the chair in the corner, he draped it over her and left her to sleep. He kept the door slightly open and went to make up the sofa bed as he chuckled to himself about what she had said about Nygma. Nygma thought that they would think he had done something to Dougherty. Jim thought about how funny that sounded.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Olivia had gone to work on that Monday morning and tried to pretend that everything was all right. The school had tried to tell her to take as much time off as she needed, but she wanted to go back to work. She needed to go back to work to get her mind back on track. A part of her had contemplated having more time off, but what would she do? She would only sit in the apartment and go stir crazy. She didn't want that. She was trying to get back to normal. She had gone out with Ed on the Friday night and he had asked her out for dinner on the Saturday and she had agreed.

Jim had been convinced she was moving quickly, but he let her do what she needed to do. He trusted that she knew what she was doing. She remained silent while eating breakfast, chewing down on her bottom lip before she left for work. Jim had agreed to drive her to work on his way, considering her car was still being used for evidence.

Going to work, Jim picked up a coffee on his way. Holding it in his fingertips, he wandered into the precinct and saw Harvey stood behind the desk. "Jim!" Harvey shouted at him. "We have an issue…a big issue."

"What is it?" Jim asked, sipping on his coffee and taking the steps up to his desk.

"There's been an attack on Falcone," Harvey said and Jim almost wanted to groan out loudly. He made himself refrain, but he placed his coffee cup down on his desk. Dropping his hands to his hips, he rocked back and forth on his heels as he shrugged.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that everyone has switched their support to Maroni," Harvey said. "We need to get down to the hospital and see how Falcone is. I suspect there will be someone after his life"

"We can't have Falcone being targeted," Jim said. "We need him or else we end up with civil unrest in the city."

"Let's go."

….

Olivia had been waiting for her brother after work that night, but he never showed. He didn't turn up for her. Instead, she had learned from a simple text message that something was going on. There was something going on with Falcone and Maroni and Jim had managed to get himself in the middle of it. Jim always managed to get himself involved in bad business. Olivia didn't know the ins and outs of what was going on, but she knew that it wouldn't be good.

"Jim sent me."

Olivia was just about to walk off, but a sudden voice stopped her. Looking over to the woman's voice, Olivia looked surprised. She remained still as Lee approached her, dressed in a long dark grey coat over her smart suit. She had leather gloves on her hands and she was holding her car keys in her grip.

"I could have walked back," Olivia said. "He didn't need to send you out of your way."

"I was on my way home anyway," Lee waved off and held her car keys up. "Shall we?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Lee said. "Your brother kind of asked me if I could take you back to mine for a little while. He is worried that he has got himself involved in some dodgy business. He doesn't want us alone. He thinks we will be better off together."

"Okay," Olivia said and Lee unlocked her car.

Swinging her bag from her shoulder, Olivia tossed it into the footwell of the passenger side. She sat down and did up her seatbelt. Glancing over to Lee as she put the key in the ignition, Olivia bit down on her bottom lip.

"What is going on?" Olivia asked from Lee. "What has Jim gotten himself involved with?"

"The gang war," Lee said and began driving off. "He is trying to get Falcone out the city. Maroni has the support of all the politicians and the GCPD. Jim wouldn't side with them. He is taking Falcone to a safe house. The Commissioner has stated that Jim has gone against his commands to leave Falcone alone."

"But why is Jim getting involved?" Olivia asked, feeling her stomach beginning to churn at the idea of her brother going against the police. That could not mean anything good. "Why does he have to get involved after everything…Jim…"

"Because he always does what he thinks is the right thing and he knows that killing Falcone would be bad. Maroni would ruin this city."

"As if this city isn't already ruined," Olivia whispered back to Lee and turned to look out the window. Lee shot a look over to Olivia as she shook her head. The young woman was looking paler than when Lee had picked her up. She was clearly worried.

"He will be fine," Lee promised her. "He has Harvey."

"Do we know that?" Olivia asked and turned back to Lee. "He is all that I have and I know that since he came back to Gotham I have relied on him so much, but even when he was in the army I never worried about him like I do now…well…not as much."

"Why did he come back?" Lee asked, realising she had never found that answer out herself.

"He felt that it was the right decision," Olivia said. "He wanted to come back and make a life with Barbara, but that didn't entirely work out. He…I think he wanted to settle down. He wanted to stop moving around and just settle. I was happy when he did, but then I never realised being part of the GCPD would be as dangerous as being in the army."

"He's a brave man," Lee said. "Perhaps everything will be fine in the end? Jim will come back home and he will be safe."

"Do you love him?" Olivia asked, knowing that the question was bold. But she was feeling bold. She wanted to know exactly what was going on with Lee and her brother. It intrigued her. She needed to know how Jim had moved on so quickly from Barbara. Did he ever truly love Barbara?

"I…yes," Lee said and turned left down a side street. "I do love him."

Olivia nodded once and Lee let out a gentle chuckle and shook her head. "Sorry," she said and glanced over to Olivia as she stopped at a red light. "I know that I have only met you a couple of times and that must be weird to hear, but I have gotten to know your brother…and when you were kidnapped…I…I promised I would never leave him. I would never abandon him. I told him I loved him before he went to find the Ogre. It wasn't the best of timing, but I realised it then."

"I don't think there is ever a good time to tell someone you love them," Olivia said. "It is never like the movies, is it? The grand, romantic gestures never happen."

"Not in my experience," Lee said. "But I know that your brother is a good man and I have no intention of letting him go…or letting him down…I love him."

"He needs someone," Olivia nodded her head. "It is good that you have him."

"We all need someone," Lee said. "Speaking off, your brother told me about Ed and you."

Olivia frowned, folding her hands into her lap. She shook her head slowly. "There is no me and Ed," she said and Lee arched her brow.

"I get it if you don't want to talk about it," Lee said to her. "I mean, after everything you've been through I doubt a relationship is the first thing on your mind."

"No," Olivia said, "it's kind of the last thing on my mind, which is funny really. Before all of this happened I…the reason I had been to see… _him_ …" Olivia couldn't speak his name. "It was to tell him that we weren't working out. I'd realised that I had feelings for Ed and he had admitted that he felt something for me, but Kristen Kringle was at the forefront of his mind. She always is. She doesn't deserve him. The way she treats him is horrible, but he has been so hung up over her."

"I don't know if that's true," Lee said to Olivia. "When you had gone missing he was beside himself. He didn't even bother with Kristen at all. He had no time for her at all."

"That's only because he was being a good friend."

"I don't think so," Lee said. "From the way I have heard him talk about you-"

"-What does he say?" Olivia asked, unable to refrain herself as Lee let a smirk form on her face at hearing that. She pulled into the parking lot underneath her apartment building and turned the ignition off. Looking to Olivia, she kept her hands on the steering wheel as the young woman shifted in her seat.

"He talks about how he is happy when he gets to see you," Lee said. "He is always wondering if you would like to do something. He is always asking Jim how you are doing and when you are free. He…when I admitted I was nervous about meeting you because Jim adores you, he told me not to worry. He told me how kind and clever you are. He told me how you would probably be nervous because you love your brother so much and how you would chew down on your bottom lip. You do that when you get nervous."

Olivia resisted a smile forming on her face as she heard that. Instead she undid her seatbelt and scolded herself for being so mushy when her brother's life was at risk. Grabbing her bag she nodded and opened the door.

"We should head inside," was all that she said.

….

Jim had called Lee and said that they had made it to Falcone's safe house. Lee had put him on speaker and said that her and Olivia were safe together. Lee had to go and see Barbara that evening after making an appointment as she was giving her counselling. Olivia had said that she would be fine in Lee's apartment while she went and did that. Olivia liked Barbara, but at that moment in time seeing her reminded her of what they had been through. And Olivia didn't want to be reminded.

Olivia had been sat on the sofa, watching some bad TV show when her cell began to ring. She looked at the ID and saw that it was Ed calling her. She picked up, turning down the volume of the TV.

"Hi, Ed," Olivia greeted him.

"I heard about Jim," was all that Ed said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "I am staying at Lee's for the night. Jim did his overly protective thing."

"Good," Ed responded. "Look, I was thinking…I know that your mind is probably elsewhere right now, but can we talk? I just need to talk to you, Olivia."

"Yeah," she said. "We can talk."

"Okay…yeah…good," Ed said and she swore that she heard him gulp. "Should I drop by Lee's?"

"She's out at Barbara's penthouse tonight," Olivia said. "She has some counselling going on there. Do you want me to text you her address?"

"Yes, please," Ed said. "I'll be there soon."

Olivia hung up and text him the address. Standing up, she went into the kitchen and placed the kettle on the stove, warming up the water. It was then when her cell rung again and she picked up to hear Jim's voice.

"What is going on?" she asked her brother. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Jim promised his sister. "Listen, I have Falcone and Harvey with me. I need to get somewhere safe. Penguin and Fish turned up and things went to shit. We got out while they were fighting, but we need to go somewhere else."

"Where?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know yet," he said, "but I need you to stay put, Olivia. Okay?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Jim, just promise me you will be careful."

"Promise," Jim said. "Love you, Liv."

"Love you too, Jim."

Hanging up, Olivia placed two herbal teabags into two mugs. She wondered if it was weird that she was making herself at home in Lee's apartment, but Lee had insisted that she do it. And Olivia did want a cup of tea. She would have to take Lee out for a drink to thank her for being so kind and to get to know her better. She suspected that would be nice. She wanted to do that for her brother. And Lee was nice. Lee was kind. She spoke to Olivia liked Barbara never did.

Olivia was lost in her thoughts as she heard the intercom ring. Moving over to it, she saw Ed's face through the small screen and picked the phone up. "It's open," she said and buzzed him in.

Olivia went to the front door and opened it, seeing Ed walking down the corridor towards her. She managed a soft smile at him as he made his way towards her. Olivia startled as he came so close and she saw an intent look in his eye. What was going on?

"If I don't say this now then I'll never say it at all," he informed her and she stepped back, letting him into the apartment and he kicked the door shut behind him. "That night before you were kidnapped, I meant what I said and it has been all I can think about since."

"Ed-"

"-No," Ed interrupted, moving a finger up and pressing it against her lips to stop her from speaking. "I have to say this, Olivia."

"No, you don't," she pleaded with him.

"You are…kind…loving…gentle…so sweet," Ed began and Olivia gulped at hearing him, closing her eyes for a second as he moved a hand to her cheek, drawing her gaze back to his as he wondered what he was doing. This was wrong. He shouldn't be doing this. But he had to. "And for some reason you are convinced that no one should love you and you get scared whenever anyone seems to declare any affection towards you…which is just so weird because you are…you are perfect, Olivia."

"Ed-"

"-No," Ed said again, silencing her. He had to do this. He needed her. He needed Olivia. She was safe. She was good for him. Kristen Kringle was not good for him. He had stood in that cabinet room and he had spoken to himself. He had felt himself losing his mind as his glasses fell from his face and he laughed manically. The voice had told him to move away from Kristen and think of the fun they could have with Olivia. Weak, little Olivia. But Ed didn't want to have fun with Olivia. He wanted to cherish her. He wanted to date her and treat her right.

"If I don't say this now then I worry I will never say it," Ed said. "I feel something when I am with you. I feel happy. I feel like you care about me. You never mock me. You never make me feel worthless. You make me feel better about everything."

"Ed, please, we can't do this right now."

"I know," Ed said to her. "And I don't want you to say anything to me, Olivia. I don't want you to tell me that you feel the same. I just want you to know."

"You…you're a good man, Ed," Olivia said, moving to take his hand from her cheek and holding it tightly. "You deserve someone who will give you that happiness…date you…make you laugh…but I…I don't know if I can give that to you right now and I don't want you to wait for me."

"What about if I wanted to wait for you?" Ed asked her and she heard the kettle begin to whistle in the kitchen.

She ignored his question and dropped his hand, rushing into the kitchen and removing the kettle from the stove. Edward followed her into the room and stood in the doorway, hands awkwardly by his side.

"Olivia," he tried to call her attention back to him. "What if I want to wait?"

"Don't put that on me," Olivia urged Ed and she folded her arms over her stomach. "Besides, there is Kristen, Ed."

"I…well…"

"You still want her," Olivia said. "And I don't want to be involved in that. I just want us to be friends. I want us to be happy and be friends."

"She isn't you," Ed finally said and looked to Olivia, his eyes wide and his glasses falling slowly down his nose. "She isn't you, Olivia."

Olivia went silent, uncertain of what she should say to him. Wasn't this what she wanted? Didn't she want Ed? She knew that she had feelings for him. She had done for a long time, but she knew that Kristen Kringle still held a place in his affections. Was that no longer true? What had changed?

"I don't know what to say," Olivia admitted to Ed with a shrug of her shoulders. "Ed, I have no answer to any of this."

"I know," Ed said, "and I don't expect an answer, but I just had to tell you. I had to tell you and make you see that…I was serious…that night when I told you how I felt…I was serious and I would wait for you. I would wait for you for as long as it takes."

"And I cannot ask you to do that," Olivia said to him. "Ed, I need to work on myself and I don't know how long that will take. Besides, don't tell me that you don't still have feelings for Kristen Kringle. You don't lose feelings that quickly, Ed."

"But she isn't the one I need, Olivia. She isn't good for me like you."

"Ed, I don't want to be the one you need," Olivia said to him. "I want to be the one you want."

"What is the difference?" he asked her and she gave him a sad smile.

"That's one thing you will have to work out on your own," she said. "Listen, Ed. I am glad you came here and told me, honestly, I am, but I just…I just can't do this right now and not so long as I know you still have feelings for Kristen Kringle. I just feel second best to her and I don't want that. I don't want that."

"I don't want to give up on you," Ed said to her and he moved closer to her. "Do you not see that?"

"But you don't want to give up on Kristen either, do you?" Olivia asked and Ed remained silent. "And that is why I am not going to do this. I am not going to get involved in some ridiculous love triangle."

"What does this mean? What do we do?"

"We admit that we are better as friends," Olivia said and she took hold of his shoulders, squeezing them tightly. "Because I like you as a friend, Ed. I value you so much. I don't want to ruin that."

"We won't," Ed promised her. "If that is what you want."

Olivia nodded and wrapped her arms around Ed, holding him tightly as he wrapped his own arms around her. He didn't know what he had expected. Had he expected her to admit her feelings and them be okay? Did he think that was going to happen? She couldn't rush into anything. And she was right. His mind was still on Kristen. He couldn't help that. But he knew it was Olivia he needed. He needed her more than Kristen. He knew that, but he couldn't help but think what if. What if Kristen finally saw him as something else? Was Olivia really second place? He didn't know. All he knew was that his mind was in a mess.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

Olivia didn't know how this could have happened. Barbara had attacked Lee. She had tried to kill Lee all because she wanted Jim back. Jim had called his sister after Ed had left and told her what had happened. Walking into the apartment after an hour following the phone call, Olivia rushed to the door. She had put the kettle on and poured Lee a cup of herbal tea alongside running her a bath. Walking into the apartment, Jim had his hand on the small of her back as she walked steadily.

"Lee," Olivia whispered her name as she stood in the hallway. "Are you okay? Sorry, no, stupid question, of course you're not."

"It's fine," Lee said, managing to fix a smile on her face. "I'm fine, Olivia. I just…it was scary and weird and I don't know how to feel."

"Barbara has been arrested. She admitted that she was the one who killed her parents when the Ogre had her," Jim said and Olivia's eyes widened and her mouth gaped as her brother nodded at her and sighed. "I know," he said in reference to her shock.

"That's horrifying," Olivia said to him as Lee slipped her heels from her feet. "What happened to her? I don't understand, Jim. Barbara was always…normal," she said, settling on the word.

"I know," Jim said and she sensed her brother was struggling to come to terms with what had happened that evening. Olivia shook her head and looked to Lee once more as the doctor pushed her hair behind her ear.

"I made you a cup of herbal tea," Olivia said to her. "I also ran you a bath. I figured you might want to…well…you know," Olivia didn't entirely know what to say, but Lee understood. She had grown fond of Olivia in the short time she had known her. She was kind and considerate.

"Thank you," Lee said, moving a hand to her upper arm and holding it softly. "That sounds nice. I am going to go and take my tea with me to the bathtub. You two just make yourself at home."

"You going to be okay?" Jim checked with her.

"I'll be fine," she promised him.

Wandering into the kitchen and then the bathroom, Lee left Olivia and Jim alone in the hallway. Moving to her brother, Olivia held onto Jim, hugging him tightly as he wrapped his own arms around her. She let her head move to rest on his shoulder as Jim bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"You okay?" she asked from her brother.

"No," Jim admitted to her in a soft voice. "I feel weird, Liv. I don't know how to feel."

"You don't need to know how to feel," Olivia promised her brother. "Lee is here and she is safe. Barbara is gone. Just focus on that."

"I'll try," Jim nodded his head. "I'll try."

….

Olivia had a day off work. It was half term and she was grateful for that. Entering the GCPD, Olivia looked around for any sign of Jim or Ed. She had agreed to meet Ed for lunch and she was just grateful that the two of them seemed to have gotten their friendship back on track. Looking around the large, open office space, she contemplated wandering into the space, but held back at the door. She wondered if Jim knew she was coming by.

It had been a few weeks since everything that had happened with Barbara and things were still crazy in Gotham. Some inmates had escaped from Arkham and were proving difficult to round back up again.

Ed had spotted Olivia in the entrance hall, but had snuck into the corridor and to his office. He needed to grab his coat before he met her for lunch. But that was the issue. Every time he saw Olivia he was struggling to control his thoughts. He was struggling to stop the other voice from entering his head. He had managed to keep it hidden from her, but when he was on his own it proved difficult to keep quiet.

" _I know what you thought when you saw her."_

Looking to the side, he saw the mirror image of him, but without his glasses or nervous disposition. It was like it was the version of Ed that he wanted to be.

"She is my friend," Ed said in a murmur and shrugged out of his grey jacket and reached for his long winter coat. "She is just my friend."

" _Is that why you keep thinking about what it would feel like to kiss her? You know, if you brought her in here then we could have fun with her?"_

"Stop it," Ed demanded.

" _You're denying yourself. I could have her screaming our name in ten minutes if you let me._ "

"Her brother is sat out there."

" _Even more a risk. The thrill of getting caught as you rut against her."_

"You are going nowhere near her," Ed said and grabbed his bag. "And that is final."

Storming out of the office, Ed wandered through the corridors into the open office to find Olivia talking with Lee. Ever since the inmates had escaped, Barbara had been free again and Lee had been concerned with what was going on. Olivia understood her fears and had assured her that she was there for her.

"Hey," Olivia said as she saw Ed approach and Lee stood to the side, turning around to see him stood there.

"Olivia," Ed said in a small greeting. "Lee."

"Sorry," Lee said, "I'll let you two head off on your lunch. Are you going anywhere nice?"

"Ed promised that he would take me to this new Italian that has just opened up," Olivia said as she felt someone barge past her, his shoulder bumping into hers. Her satchel fell from her shoulder and she winced as Ed looked at the man and Lee sniffed haughtily, noticing other officers in blue enter the precinct.

"Excuse you," Olivia mumbled, grabbing her bag again and placing it back on her shoulder as Lee looked at the officers and then to Ed.

"Do you recognise any of them?" she asked, motioning with her chin to them.

Ed turned his head over his shoulder and eyed them with intrigue. Looking back to Lee, his brow knitted together and he shook his head. "No," he said.

It was then when smoke entered the precinct and gunshots began to echo through the room. Lee ducked down as officers began to shoot at their impersonators. Lee grabbed hold of Olivia and pushed her down to the ground as Ed did the same, crouching over her as the gunshots continued to ring through the room. Olivia felt Lee huddle against her as they remained on their knees, Ed's body covering her back.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked Olivia, holding onto her arms and looking her in the eye. She nodded once.

"Yeah," she said in a low voice as she turned her head over her shoulder to look back to Ed.

He nodded at her as the gunshots died down and Lee knew they had to move quickly. Grabbing hold of Olivia by the hand, she dragged her to the door in the corner that led to the supply closet for stationery. She could only hope that no one had gone there. Olivia took hold of Ed with her free hand as she pulled for him to follow her. Entering the cupboard, Lee closed the door quietly, making sure it didn't make a clicking sound.

"What the hell is going on?" Olivia whispered as Lee kept her hands on the door, making sure it stayed shut.

"I don't know," Lee responded in an equally soft whisper.

"They must have impersonated the officers," Ed said and Olivia looked to him, only then noticing the blood on his shoulder. She was about to shriek, but she regained her composure and Ed nodded. "I'm fine. It hit my shoulder and it doesn't hurt too much."

"Lee, he's been shot," Olivia said, looking to Ed as she moved over to him and helped him peel his coat from his shoulder, looking at the wound in his shoulder.

"Okay," Lee said as she moved to stand in front of Ed. She eyed the wound, holding his shoulder and seeing him wince as Olivia stood to the side. "It isn't deep. By the looks of it, it is just a scrape. We will need to clean it and cover it up when we get out of here."

"Good news," Ed mumbled sarcastically.

"Where was Jim?" Olivia wondered. "Did anyone see him?"

"He wasn't in the precinct," Lee said. "I came to look for him before I saw you."

Olivia nodded and looked to Ed as he glanced back down at her. Moving slowly, he dared to let his hand take hold of hers, his fingers squeezing hers tightly as she felt her step closer to him, their fronts almost brushing.

"It's going to be alright," Ed promised her in a whisper. "I promise."

Nodding once, Olivia kissed him on the cheek before hearing a voice begin to shout for Lee. It was Jim. Lee threw the door open and rushed back into the precinct in time to see Jim looking around. His face was covered in blood, his eye black and his lip split. Olivia gasped in horror as she walked with Ed into the office again.

"Jim," Lee sighed his name. "What happened?"

"Barbara," he said to her. "She got me to follow her and had one of the escapees attack me. The rest of them attacked here while I was gone. They killed the Commissioner."

"My God," Lee whispered, placing a hand to her chest.

"Did any of them hurt you?" Jim asked her.

"No, we hid before they could find us."

"We?" Jim asked and then noticed his sister emerge from behind Lee and he sighed, shaking his head as he stepped forwards and she looked horrified at the sight of his face, wondering what had happened to him. "Liv, what are you doing here?"

"What happened to you?" she demanded from her brother.

"Barbara," Jim only said. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Olivia said, "but I need to get Ed to a doctor. He was shot and his wound needs cleaning. You need to see a doctor too…God, Jim…your face."

"I'm okay," Jim promised his sister, moving to squeeze her shoulder.

"I'll take a look at your face," Lee said to Jim and looked to Olivia. "Liv, can you get Ed to a doctor."

"Sure," Olivia said and took hold of Ed by the hand once more and moved into the precinct where paramedics were arriving.

She stood by his side as he sat on a desk and peeled his shirt off, leaving him in a vest as his wound was cleaned. He watched on as Olivia stood there, her hand covering her mouth as she did her best to consider what she was seeing. She was in a state of shock. She had been worried for Ed. She was letting her mind run away with her.

"Mr Nygma…my gosh, what happened?"

Olivia looked over to where a red headed woman was approaching, dressed in a pencil skirt and white shirt. A green cardigan sat on her shoulders and her glasses were large on her face. She had wide eyes and Olivia couldn't help but notice how her featured seemed so proportionate to her face. She had to be Kristen Kringle. From what Ed had said about her, there was no one else it could be.

"Oh…nothing," Ed said, not wanting her to worry as she stood before him and the paramedic covered up his wound with a white bandage. Olivia took a step back and bit down on her bottom lip. "It is just a graze I got in the crossfire."

"Does it hurt?"

"No," Ed lied. He felt slight pain, but nothing terrible. "I am fine. I…well…I pushed Olivia out of the way and it hit me as I bent down."

"You got it protecting Detective Gordon's sister?"

Olivia wanted to snap at her. Detective Gordon's sister had a name and she was standing right there, but Kristen hadn't even noticed her. Olivia didn't even know Ed had been hit protecting her. She thought that it had just happened. But it had all happened so quickly.

"Yes," Ed confirmed.

"That was so brave, Ed," Kristen said and took hold of his arm that wasn't injured. "Do you need anything?"

Olivia felt invisible. Was she invisible? Ed hadn't even looked at her since Kristen had made her appearance. She guessed that confirmed what she already knew. Ed wanted Kringle. He only felt that he wanted Olivia because she was available. As soon as Kristen came and offered attention then he was gone.

"No," Ed said as Olivia contemplated turning and leaving, "I was just going to take Olivia out for lunch…I guess the building will be shut down anyway."

He looked to her then and Kristen followed his gaze over to her. "Oh," Kristen said. "I am sorry, I did not notice you there."

"I guessed not," Olivia said, struggling to want to be pleasant to the woman who held Ed's affections and had done nothing but rebut him.

"Well, it is nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Olivia said, voice haughty as Ed continued to watch her for her reaction, wondering what was going through her mind. "I'm just going to see Jim. I'll be back in a minute."

"She seems uppity," Kristen commented.

Ed didn't want to tell her that would be because of what he had said about Kristen. "She's tense," was all Ed said. "I should get going."

"Listen, Ed," Kristen said in a soft voice, "I…I know I haven't been kind to you or even nice, but I want to make that up to you. Perhaps we can have dinner one night?"

Ed wondered where that had come from, but he did not contend against it. This was what he wanted. So why did he feel so deflated? Why did he feel as though none of it mattered? He nodded his head out of instinct and agreed to catch up with her the next day to set up a time and date.

Leaving the precinct with Olivia after she had spoken with Jim, she insisted on driving after Ed had finished placing his shirt back on and had found his coat and her bag in the cupboard. He had winced at the movement as he struggled to do his tie up. Standing by the car, Olivia reached for the tie, swatting his hand from the way.

"Kristen asked me for dinner," Ed said to Olivia as she finished knotting the tie.

"And what did you say?" Olivia asked, focusing all of her effort onto the tie.

"I said yes," he said and continued to watch her.

"That's good," Olivia said. "It's what you have wanted."

"It's not-"

"-Why didn't you say you got shot protecting me?" Olivia interrupted him from what he was going to say. But he had wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to finish his sentence and tell her that it was not what he wanted. What he wanted was Olivia to accept him, but he was not getting that anytime soon.

"It all happened so quickly," Ed said with a shrug as Olivia kept her hands on his chest once she had finished knotting his tie. "I didn't know what was happening and…I…I wanted to protect you."

"Thank you," she said to him with a genuine heartfelt look as he continued to stare back down at her.

"I would do anything for you," he whispered and Olivia almost felt like something had changed. There was a shift between them as Ed moved a hand to her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. He bent down just as Olivia escaped from his grip and unlocked her car, knowing what had been about to happen.

"I will take you home," she said, opening the passenger door for him.

Ed let out a shaky breath and nodded. He had wanted to kiss her. It was all he had wanted to do. Why would she not let him in? What more could he do?

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

Olivia had dropped Ed off at his apartment before returning to her own apartment. She had begun cooking dinner when Jim walked in, sniffing the air. His face was free from blood, but it revealed the bruises and his cut lip. Olivia frowned at the sight of him as he tossed his keys onto the coffee table and moved into the kitchen, tugging his tie free from his collar. He tossed it down onto the sofa on his way.

"You look terrible," Olivia said to her brother.

"I feel terrible," he said. "Lee dropped me off early."

"I'm glad," Olivia said to him as he reached into the fridge and pulled a bottle of beer from it. "Jim, last week everything was…well…as normal as we have seen it and now it feels like everything is topsy turvy again."

"Because it is," Jim said to his sister, taking a swig of his beer. "Did you see the news? They're playing the tape of Jermoe Valeska on loop. I can't stand to hear it one more time."

"I heard it on the news," Olivia said to her brother. "I drove Ed home and they played it. He sounds psychotic and he is still on the loose."

"Not for much longer if I have anything to say about it," Jim said. "He killed Commissioner Essen. He won't get away with that."

"Just be careful, okay?" she urged from him, stirring the vegetables and checking on the noodles in the pan next to it. "I mean it, Jim. I don't like the idea of all these criminals being loose, particular Barbara."

"I don't know what is going on with her," Jim complained as he closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I know how to choose them right?"

"Hey, I think we both know how to pick them," Olivia said, looking at her brother as she continued stirring. "I mean, between us we have a collection of deranged exes. I think I am slightly ahead of you though, I mean, I had an abusive ex and my date kidnapped. You just have one ex trying to kill you."

Jim's lips quirked at the morbid situation as his sister's did the same. He moved to stand next to her then, placing his bottle down on the worktop counter before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He squeezed her tightly as she moved closer to him, her head dropping to sit on his shoulders. Closing her eyes as she continued stirring the dinner, she let out a shallow breath.

"Perhaps we might have some normalcy now, huh?"

"Well, Lee seems quite normal."

"So is Ed," Jim said and Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well, not entirely normal with his riddles, but he isn't some deranged killer."

"True," Olivia said to her brother.

"So what is going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Olivia said to her brother, standing up straight again as Jim dropped his arm from around her and turned around, the backs of his legs pressed against the worktop so he could watch her. "I told him that I am happy just being friends. I don't want him to wait for me, Jim. I don't know if I will be ready anytime soon for a relationship."

"Perhaps a relationship is what you need, Liv," Jim said. "Perhaps you need someone who will treat you well?"

"One day, but first I need to work on what I want," she said. "And I know that Ed claims that he cares, but in the back of his mind there is always Kristen Kringle. Do you know that she was talking to Ed earlier and didn't even notice my presence? She just came across as…I don't know…I just don't trust her."

"Kristen Kringle is harmless," Jim informed his sister.

"She might be harmless, but she still treated Ed like crap for a long time," Olivia said. "It was almost like she heard that he had been shot saving me and she came to swoon over him, telling him how brave he was. It was just complete over the top and I swear she is only interested because her boyfriend did a runner because of Ed…like he is her knight in shining armour."

"I think he reserves those duties for you," Jim teased and Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Ha, ha," she said to him.

"I mean it," Jim said. "You know when you went missing Ed spent hours making and handing out leaflets? He just pushed you out of the way of a bullet today."

"So I guess Ed has helped me out quiet a few times," Olivia said to him.

"If you think that he cares for Kristen Kringle as much as he cares for you then I really question your judgment, Liv," Jim said with a shake of his head.

"That's not the point," Olivia said. "The point is that Kristen Kringle still occupies his mind and I don't want a relationship yet. I just want to be me for a while and not jump into another relationship."

"Fine," Jim said, holding his hands up in defence so that his sister didn't continue snapping at him. "I just want you to be happy and I think that Ed can make you happy."

"He does," Olivia said, "as my friend."

"I'll drop it," Jim said.

"Thank you," Olivia said gratefully to her brother and began to dish up dinner. "Anyway, we need to talk about what we are going to do about Barbara because honestly, she has gone from me pitying her to me being terrified of her."

"Join the club."

…

Ed sat on the park bench. He had agreed to meet Olivia for lunch. School had finished for the term and she was no longer teaching during the days. She spent her days working from home and leisurely doing errands. She had decided to go for a run around the park before meeting Ed. He waited for her, sitting down on the bench with two salads. He was early and kept checking his cell to make sure she hadn't cancelled. He saw her approaching, maintaining a steady jog as she neared him. She wore long leggings and a short sleeved top. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her phone was in her hand with her keys, earphones in her ears.

"Hey," Olivia said, tugging the earphone out and letting them hang over her shoulders. "How are you, Ed?"

"Good," Ed said. "So you went for a run?"

"I needed to do something," Olivia said to him, plonking herself down on the bench next to him. "I used to go running a lot before everything got crazy. I enjoy it."

"Well, here you go," Ed said, passing her the salad. "Nutritious salad to keep you going."

"Why thank you," Olivia said, popping open the lid and picking out the fork from inside of it as Ed did the same. "So how is work going?"

"Good," Ed said to her, realising that this was the first time he had seen her since he had tried to kiss her. "We've been pretty busy since Essen…well…died. Your brother has been working hard to try and find the escaped Arkham inmates."

"I know," Olivia said. "He is gone before I wake up and usually comes home just before I go to bed."

"He is a really taskmaster," Ed said.

Olivia scoffed. "You're telling me," she said. "I grew up with him."

Ed smiled at hearing that and she crossed one leg over the other as another jogger went by them and she let her head fall back slightly, feeling the sun on her face.

"So…I have a date with Kristen next week," Ed said, watching for Olivia's reaction. She seemed slightly impassive, but Ed knew that she could do well at hiding her emotions. She was able to do that when Ed just wanted to know what she was thinking. "I was wondering if I should cook for her or take her out for dinner."

"It depends," Olivia said, wondering if she could hold her tongue from saying something mean. "You are a very good cook, but maybe that might feel too intimate for a first date?"

"Intimate is good, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," Olivia said, picking at the lettuce on her fork and then pushing it into her mouth. She chewed down on it and then looked back over to Ed. "You should do whatever you think is right, Ed. I mean, when it comes to dating there is always etiquette, but I think the main thing is being able to have conversation and just be comfortable with each other…but not too comfortable that you don't feel like you can completely relax…like there are butterflies in your stomach."

"I see," he responded, pursing his lips for a moment. Was that what she felt when she was with him? How did he know? He knew that he felt that when he was with her. It was exactly how he felt. It was like he was comfortable to discuss anything with her, but he also felt anxious, wanting her to want him back.

"You'll be fine," Olivia promised Ed.

"Yes, I hope so," Ed said and ate a tomato. "I was going to ask if you fancied going to see a film at the weekend anyway?"

"Sure," Olivia shrugged her shoulders in agreement with him. "What did you have in mind?"

Ed began talking to her about the latest film he wanted to see and she listened to him, her mind completely on how his date with Kristen would go.

….

Ed let Kristen into his apartment and she pushed her glasses further onto her nose as she watched him. Her eyes widened and her lips quirked only slightly.

"I didn't know that we would be dining at your house," Kristen commented.

"Well, I am a good cook," Ed told her. "So I thought that would be nice instead of going out to some noisy bar or restaurant."

"Yes," Kristen said.

"Well, come in," Ed said, stepping back and allowing her further in. He closed the door behind her and took her coat from her, placing it on the back of the chair.

"So," Kristen said as she walked around Ed's apartment, hands clasped in front of her as Ed moved to the kitchen. "This is your place."

"Yes," Ed said. "It isn't much, but I like it."

"It's different," Kristen said and looked to Ed. "I mean, it's like you, Ed. It's unique."

"Thank you," Ed said, blushing slightly. "Can I get you a drink? I have wine in the fridge."

"Lovely, thank you," Kristen said and Ed went to pull the bottle out. He poured her a glass and handed it to her as she remained stood, seeming slightly awkward and out of place.

"Take a seat," Ed urged her and she sat down in the chair at the table. "Dinner is just in the oven. It shouldn't be too long before it is ready."

"It smells delicious," Kristen promised him and he went to sit down next to her. "Anyway, I have to say that I was surprised you agreed to dinner. I thought that you had been dating Gordon's sister."

"Olivia," Jim said her name again. She was not just Jim Gordon's sister. She was her own person. "And…well…we are very close friends."

"I can tell," Kristen said. "Did you ever want to be anything more with her?"

Ed looked down at the table for a moment, his glasses slipping down his nose as he completed the motion. He gathered his thoughts for a moment before he heard the voice in his head again. It was like he was stood behind him and talking over his shoulder.

" _Just tell her the truth. Tell her how you'd rather have little Olivia here at your table…tell her how you'd rather have Olivia looking at you with those big eyes of hers, hanging off your every word."_

"I…when I first met her I thought that maybe there might be something," Ed said. "But we are both just good friends. She is a really good friend."

"You know," Kristen drawled, "some might find that disconcerting…I mean…having her as a really close friend, well, some people might feel insecure."

"I don't understand," Ed said, brows knitting together.

"You know," Kristen shrugged nonchalantly. "The idea of your best friend being someone you clearly had a thing for."

" _She's jealous. She has good reason to be though, doesn't she? She's second best to Olivia. We both know that."_

"Well," Ed said, coughing into his fist. "I mean, Olivia and I never dated so there isn't really any history. I should check on the beef," Ed changed topics and moved to his feet, quickly going to open the oven and gather his thoughts and try to stop the voice in the back of his mind.

….

Olivia had been spending more and more time with Lee as the weeks progressed and she found Ed pulling back from her as he spent more time with Kristen. Lee had been a good friend, especially when Olivia needed advice. Jim was still working all hours and even Lee was feeling slightly neglected by him. He was running around the streets and constantly risking his life.

"Here," Lee said, handing Olivia the glass of wine as they sat on Lee's sofa. "So, how are things?"

"Good," Olivia said with a nod of her head. "I'm fine. I mean, constantly worrying about Jim, but what is new about that? I mean, he is out there trying to find escaped convicts."

"I know," Lee said. "And from today he has now been tasked with trying to find the Penguin."

"Jeez," Olivia complained, sipping on her wine. "Is he still in the office?"

"Of course he is," Lee mumbled back to her. "I asked him to the charity gala and he didn't come to that. He doesn't even managed to come home for dinner anymore."

"Do we need to stage an intervention?"

"Would it help?"

"Probably not," Olivia admitted. "Jim does what he wants and when he gets his mind set on something then he goes after it."

"Well, it is nice that we can spend time together," Lee said. "Usually you're always with Nygma."

Olivia scoffed and shook her head. "I don't think I will be seeing him that much anymore. He's more concerned with dating Kristen Kringle than hanging out with me at this moment in time."

"I've seen them together at work. I take it they are getting serious."

"Apparently so," Olivia muttered and drank more of the wine. "I am fine with him dating Kristen, even though I find what she did to him and how she treated him abhorrent, but he is dropping me as if I am not his friend."

"Do you want me to have words with him?" Lee wondered. "I get on with him and I know that he cares about you, Olivia."

"No, it is fine," Olivia said. "I guess it is inevitable in relationships, isn't it? I am probably overreacting. I'm just used to seeing him more often than I do."

Lee agreed with her, but she could see the sadness in her gaze. She wanted him. She wanted Ed to be with her, but she would not admit it to herself. She was denying it. Perhaps she did need time, but Lee only wondered if after that time she would be alone.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

Ed knew that his life seemed perfect. He had a girlfriend who adored him and he adored her. Spending time with Kristen Kringle was everything Ed had thought it might be whenever he had gazed longingly at her. When he was with her, holding her hand and walking by her side, he realised that this was what he had waited for. He had waited for months for her to be his and now she was. She was completely his. She was all his. But then when he was with her, his mind would wander. They would be sat on the sofa, watching films together and he would let his gaze drift to his cell on the arm of the seat.

Olivia hadn't called him days. She hadn't even text him. They usually didn't go longer than a day without speaking to each other. Ed had gotten into the habit of texting her daily after they had found her and stopped the Ogre. But now, ever since he had started dating Kristen, they had drifted. He missed her too. He missed her more than he thought he would.

" _She's just a phone call away."_

Ed tried to ignore the voice, focusing on the movie on the screen and Kristen leaning against his side, head on her shoulder.

" _Don't even pretend that you are interested in this, Eddie. You'd rather it was Olivia sat next to you, pressed against you like this. You'd rather have her here…perhaps you'd have forgotten about the film by now."_

Ed ground his teeth together as Kristen laughed softly at the screen.

" _Do you think she has moved on, Ed? Do you think that was why she hasn't bothered calling? She has someone else right now. Someone else touching our little Olivia…pleasing her…giving her what she needs."_

"I just have to pop to the bathroom," Ed said to Kristen, uncurling his arm from around her as she nodded. He moved into the bathroom and closed the door, locking it for extra security. He stood over the sink and began running the tap, pooling cold water in his hands and then throwing it onto his face.

"Stop this," he hissed into the mirror as he saw the other figure staring back at him, his face cocky and his eyes narrowed.

" _What is it, Eddie? You know I'm talking sense. Just walk out of here, go to Olivia's and tell her what is going to happen. Stop letting her dictate the relationship. She is not the one in charge here."_

"I respect her too much…she said she wanted time."

" _Respect is not going to get you what you want, Eddie. She doesn't want that either. We both know she wants you."_

"No. She is not a possession," Ed said into the mirror. "She is Olivia. She is Olivia…and I care too much to hurt her."

" _You're never going to get her. Let me take over. Let me do what needs to be done."_

"Never," Ed said with a shake of his head, hands holding onto the sink until his knuckles turned white. "Never."

…

"Where is she?"

Lee looked nervously to Jim as he entered her own apartment. She did her best not to feel worried at what she was going to tell them. Olivia and Lee were supposed to be going out for dinner, but something had come up at the morgue. She had asked Jim, who had been having lunch with Olivia anyway, if both of them could go back to her apartment and they could just order a takeaway instead. Jim said he would love to stay, but as soon as Lee got back he had to go again. He was part of task Strike Force and they worked all round the clock.

"Just in the bathroom," Jim said, brows furrowing as Lee quickly pressed her lips to his. "Why? What is wrong?"

"I kind of did something stupid," Lee said just as Olivia entered the kitchen and smiled.

"Hey," she said to Lee. "You okay?"

"Fine," Lee nodded. "Listen, I have something to tell both of you." Looking to Jim, she pointed at her boyfriend. "This will annoy you," she said to him and then looked to Olivia. "And this might make you nauseous."

"Lee," Jim complained, wanting to know what was going on.

"Okay, okay," she held her hands up. "I was talking with Kristen Kringle earlier and she asked if we," she said, looking to Jim, "wanted to have a double date with her and Ed."

"Jeez," Olivia muttered and reached for the bottle of wine she had bought as the couple watched her grab two glasses, one for her and one for Lee. "Seriously?" Olivia demanded, pouring the wine. "A double date? With you guys? You know that Ed hasn't even called me in…I don't know how long…and now he wants a double date with both of you?"

"Please tell me you said no," Jim begged as Olivia handed Lee a glass of wine.

The doctor held onto it and bit down on her bottom lip, her silence speaking volumes as Jim groaned and dropped his hands to his hips. Olivia's eyes widened in response, her mouth gaping.

"She had me cornered!" Lee defended herself.

"Lee," Jim complained.

"Sorry," Lee said, "but then I was thinking that this might be a good chance to see what Kristen and Ed are like as a couple and find out if…well…you know, they're serious."

"So you want to perform some kind of social experiment?" Jim checked and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine, where is this date happening? Do we need to book a restaurant?"

There was silence again and Jim looked concerned as Olivia sipped on her wine.

"I kind of invited them here," she said.

There was a collective groan from both Jim and Olivia then.

"Your apartment?" Olivia checked. "Why does it need to be so intimate?"

"We can't leave," Jim complained. "We're already here."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Lee said and took a drink of her wine as Jim reached for his coat from the back of the chair. Shrugging into it as Lee moved towards him, he watched her place a hand onto his arm. "But it will be fine."

"Yeah," Jim said, not sounding convinced. "I've got to go. I'll be back late tonight, okay?"

"Be safe," Lee urged and kissed him quickly.

Jim embraced his sister quickly and left the apartment, leaving both Lee and Olivia. Looking to Olivia, Lee watched as she looked off to the side, her eyes gazing out the window in the kitchen. She was clearly in a world of her own. There was something going on.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked.

"No," Olivia said honestly to her, finally looking back to her. "He hasn't called me in ages, Lee. I'm not jealous of him dating Kristen Kringle, but I thought that we were friends. I thought that we were closer than this and now it is like he has forgotten me."

"Come on, we need to sit down and discuss this," Lee said, both of them heading towards the sofa. She picked the bottle of wine up on her way and placed it on the coffee table. Both of them sat down on the sofa, curled up at either end. "What's going on, Liv?"

"I kept trying to make plans with Ed," Olivia said. "I asked him to lunch and everything else and I know that he has a girlfriend now so we won't spend as much time together as we might have before, but it is like he has dropped me. He has completely dropped me, Lee. I thought he was my friend."

"I know," Lee said. "And he…he asks after you when I am at work."

"Then why does he not call me?"

"I think it might be because of Kristen Kringle," Lee admitted to Olivia, swirling her wine in the glass absentmindedly. "You and Ed are really close and both me and Jim were shocked when you did not actually get together. Sometimes other women can find those types of relationships threatening…particularly because…well…we both know that you and Ed have something more."

"It scared me," Olivia admitted to Lee, chewing the inside of her cheek and looking down to her lap. "I know that Ed is nothing like Jack or Jason. He would never hurt me or treat me badly…but maybe that is what scares me more…the idea that we could be happy and I might do something to mess that up. I don't want to do that to him."

"Liv," Lee sighed as Olivia wiped her eyes, feeling tears beginning to collect. "You deserve to be happy."

"And I want to be happy, but I feel like I don't deserve it," Olivia said as Lee placed her wine glass down and moved closer to Olivia. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Lee felt Olivia drop her head to her shoulder. "I'm scared of a relationship with him…but the thought of him with Kristen…the idea of him going out with her…doing God knows what with her…I'm lying, it does make me jealous, but I have no right to be jealous. I have no right whatsoever because I told him not to wait for me…I can't have him now…I don't deserve to have him."

….

Olivia knew that she had drunk too much. She had drunk far too much and had fallen asleep in the guest bedroom. She woke up late in the morning with a note o the bedside table. She squinted as she managed to read it, raking a hand through her hair. Jim and Lee had gone to work, but Lee had urged Olivia to stay in her apartment for as long as she liked considering Olivia didn't have her car as Jim had been the one to drive them to Lee's apartment.

Moving to her feet, Olivia felt unsteady before she realised she was about to throw up. Rushing into the bathroom, she bent over the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach. Closing her eyes, she stood up and moved to the sink, running the cold water and letting it splash her face.

She could walk back to her apartment. The fresh air would do her some good. She went back to the guest room and sat back down on the bed, taking a deep and shaky breath before closing her eyes. She could have ten more minutes before she had to go.

….

Olivia woke up to the noise of her cell ringing on her bedside table. She opened her eyes once more and reached for it. She managed to answer the call without looking at the screen.

"Hello?" she said.

"Olivia, are you okay?" Lee asked, voice slightly concerned. "I have been texting you for the past couple of hours and you haven't replied."

"Couple of hours? What time is it?"

"Almost six," Lee said to her.

"Christ," Olivia complained. "I am so sorry, Lee. I didn't feel great when I woke up so I went to sit back down and have ten minutes. I must have fallen asleep for the entire day."

Lee chuckled. "You did drink two bottles of wine," she responded.

"I know," Olivia complained.

"I'm on my way back to my apartment now. Kristen and Ed are due to arrive at seven if you want to be gone, but if you still don't feel well then you can stay, Liv."

"And play gooseberry on your date?" Olivia asked and went to stand up. "I don't think so. I am going to head home."

"Well text me when you get back," Lee urged from her.

"Will do."

Olivia hung up and placed her cell down. Reaching for her ankle boots, she slipped them onto her feet before her cell began to ring again. Rolling her eyes, she picked the phone up once again and then looked at the caller ID. It was Ed. Olivia gulped and picked up.

"Hi, Ed."

"Olivia," his voice was soft. "I need to talk to you. I need you."

…

Sitting in the guest room, Olivia could hear the conversation down the hall. She had asked Lee if she could stay over for a while longer, claiming that she didn't feel well still. Lee had told her it was fine. Olivia had no intention of leaving the guest room, but she knew that she had to talk with Ed. She had told him that she would. The idea of going out into the dining room and seeing them all sat there was enough to make her feel queasy once again.

Ed sat around the table with Kristen, Jim and Lee. The four of them were having pleasant enough conversation, but Olivia had said that she would be here. She had told them that she would be at dinner. But then Lee had said that she was ill and sleeping. Ed wondered if that was true.

"Lee, may I use your bathroom?" Ed asked after the main course.

"Down the hall, door on the left," Lee said and Ed nodded. Kristen squeezed his hand as he moved to his feet and walked down the hall, closing the door to the kitchen on his way. He looked around before noticing a light from underneath one door.

He ignored the bathroom and pushed the door open to find Olivia sat on the bed, legs pulled up to her chin. She had a book balanced in her lap and wore checked pyjamas that she had borrowed from Lee. Her hair was hanging down her face and her cheeks were pale. She peered up as soon as she saw Ed stood there.

"I thought that you were going to have dinner with us," Ed said to her.

"I suddenly felt ill," she said. "Lee said I could stay here. You should go back to them. I don't want to pass what I have onto you."

"You're not sick," Ed said firmly, knowing when she was lying as she looked away from him. "You're avoiding me."

She scoffed then, trying to keep her voice down as Ed folded his arms over his chest, crumpling the blue shirt he wore as he wandered further into the room.

"You're one to talk," she hissed at him, not entirely certain if she wanted this conversation at that moment in time. "You've been avoiding me, Ed. You haven't even called me or wanted to spend time with me."

"I'm sorry," he said and Olivia's eyes widened. She thought that he might try to deny it, but he wasn't. "But…Kristen…well…she was jealous of us."

"We're friends, Ed," Olivia said to him.

"She thought that there was something else going on. She thought that I…well…wanted more than friendship and she was not wrong," he said to her. "And the more I thought about calling you or trying to see you, the harder it became and before I knew it we were just distanced…because I knew that if I saw you then it would ruin everything with Kristen."

"Because she is jealous?"

"Because she isn't the one I want," Ed interrupted her, shifting from one foot to the other as he did his best not to look too anxious. Picking his gaze up, he let it move to settle on her. "Because I knew that if I saw you then this fantasy I built up in my head of being with Kristen would crumble, because that is all it ever was before you came along…a fantasy…and I've realised that living in a fantasy is not the same as living in the real world, not when you're in the real world."

Olivia said nothing, feeling her breath begin taken away by his words. She didn't know how to respond. She couldn't respond. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Ed looked at her as she closed her eyes and spoke, blurting out the truth before she became too afraid.

"I was jealous," she admitted to him, looking him in the eye finally as he adjusted his glasses. "The idea of you spending time with Kristen upset me, but it made me jealous because I want to be the one who is with you…I want what we have…had…"

"But you said that you weren't ready for a relationship."

"And that is why that makes me feel so selfish," she said to him, "because I told you not to wait for me. I didn't want you to wait for me. I wanted you to be happy."

"But I told you that I would be happy to wait for you," Ed protested to her. "What are we doing, Olivia? Why are we doing this?"

"Because of me," she said. "Because I am convinced that I don't deserve a happy relationship. I have dated people who have hurt me and I know that you would not do that to me, but that doesn't mean that something won't happen…that something won't go wrong and I like you too much to hurt you."

"You cannot live in fear, Olivia," Ed said to her, a hand moving to rest on top of hers for a moment as she dropped her book off to the side. "We could be happy if you just let us be happy. We could be together…just say the word…"

Ed let his fingers link into hers and she did her best to keep her breathing steady as she moved a hand to his shoulder, her fingers resting there. Looking to him, she let her eyes linger along his sharp jawline and up to his eyes again.

"Your girlfriend is sat right out there," she reminded him.

"I know," Ed whispered back to her.

"You should go back to her."

"I know," Ed repeated. "But the issue is that I have spent an hour out there faking how I feel…sitting here…with you…it's the happiest I have felt since I entered this apartment."

He moved his free hand to her cheek then, brushing her hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. He bent down then, his lips pressing to hers as he felt her hands run down his shoulders to hold his upper arms. He moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, cupping it gently in his large palm.

"Liv, have you seen Ed…Lee wants to serve…"

Jim's voice trailed off as he entered the guest bedroom and his eyes widened at the sight he was seeing. He remained stood where he was. Olivia pulled back from Ed quickly, her hands dropping his arms as he let go of her and jumped to his feet, hands raking through his hair.

"I should go," Ed said and made his excuses, sweeping from the room as Jim stood to the side and let him go.

Olivia remained settled on the bed and watched him go. Jim did the same before turning his eyes back to his sister, hands moving to his hips.

"What are you playing at?" Jim hissed at his sister, stepping further into the room and closing the door as he made the motion.

"It just happened," Olivia said, making her excuse as she shrugged.

"You make my life so difficult," Jim complained to his sister. "I have to go out there and pretend I didn't see anything. Why did you do this?"

"It wasn't just me," Olivia said to him, voice a hiss back to her brother. "Ed kissed me back."

"And why could you not do this another time?" he demanded from her. "Why could you not do this when we weren't in the middle of dinner? His girlfriend is sat out there, Liv, and I know that you don't like her and clearly Ed isn't that keen judging by the performance I just witnessed, but that is not the point. The point is that she is sat out there and regardless of everything it isn't nice that her boyfriend is in here kissing another girl."

"I get it," Olivia said, holding her hands up.

"You've had time to decide if you wanted to be with Ed. He made his feelings clear, Liv, and you pushed him away. Now you decide all of a sudden that you want him?"

"I know," Olivia said. "I know how it looks."

"It looks pretty selfish, Olivia," Jim said and she felt his words sting as he told her. "It looks like you're toying with his emotions."

"I don't mean to."

"Then don't," Jim said. "Because you'll both end up hurt if this carries on."

Jim moved from the room then and Olivia laid down, flopping onto her back and placing her hands over her eyes. She had no idea what to do now.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	20. Chapter 20

Lee had sensed the change in atmosphere when Ed and Jim had returned to the dining table. Kristen had asked Ed if everything was okay and he said that he had bumped into Olivia on his way to the bathroom. Kristen's eyes had narrowed when she had heard that, but Ed had insisted that he had simply wanted to check that Olivia was okay. He said that she had been nauseous and so he had sat with her for a moment and asked if she wanted anything.

Jim agreed, saying that he had found Olivia with a temperature and Ed had been concerned. Lee had looked to her boyfriend as she told the story and she knew that he was lying. There was something else going on and she could sense it. They had engaged in light conversation throughout eating the cheesecake that Lee had bought.

Olivia had left her bedroom as she heard Ed and Kristen begin to leave. Her stomach still felt tight and she loitered behind the door, not wanting to come out just yet. She listened in as they bid each other goodnight. Kristen asked Ed if she was going to stay at hers and he had agreed. Closing her eyes at hearing that, Olivia wondered what they were getting up to together. Was he going to tell her what had happened? Was he going to admit the truth? Did Olivia want him to do that? Did he event want to do that.

" _You are jealous,"_ she thought, the voice in her mind not leaving her. _"You're jealous of her being with him. Do you think they've slept together yet? Do you think he is good in bed? He's probably a considerate lover…willing to think more about his partner than himself."_

"What the hell was going on?" Lee's voice snapped Olivia from her thoughts as she finally dared to step into the living room. Jim looked to his sister as the door opened from the hallway and he nodded to Olivia.

"Ask my sister," he urged from Lee, reaching for his wine glass from the dining table. Lee picked up the empty plates as Jim began to down the alcohol. She furrowed a brow and looked at Olivia expectantly as she began tidying things away.

"I said I was sorry," Olivia said to her brother. "I didn't mean to make things awkward, Jim."

"Is somebody going to tell me what is going on?" Lee asked.

"When I said that Ed was with Olivia I wasn't lying," Jim said, leaning back against the worktop counter as his eyes remained on his sister and Lee placed the dishes in the dishwasher. "He was too busy with his hands all over her to eat dinner with us."

"That is not true!" Olivia snapped at her brother and Lee's mouth fell open.

"What?" she demanded, voice shrill. "Are you kidding me?"

"It was only a kiss," Olivia said, holding her hands up in defence. "We did not do anything else."

"Yeah, because I walked in."

"Do you think I would have taken things further when you're having dinner in the room next door?" Olivia demanded from Jim, glaring at him with narrow eyes. Looking back to her, he shrugged his shoulders and held his glass to his lips again.

"I didn't think you'd kiss someone else's boyfriend, but you did," Jim said and sipped on his wine.

"You're one to talk," Olivia said and Jim placed his glass down, hands on his hips as Lee stayed out of the way, knowing better than to get in between two siblings fighting.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jim demanded from her.

"Did you wait for Barbara to give her engagement ring back before you jumped in bed with Lee?" Olivia asked.

Lee stood up straight, looking shocked at what she had just heard from Olivia. There was silence then and Olivia bowed her head, her eyes looking to the ground before she shook her head. She tucked her hair behind her ears and Jim stepped forwards.

"Are you serious?"

"Lee, I didn't mean-"

"-I know," Lee interrupted. She knew what Olivia was getting at. She was not going to hold it against her, but she only hoped that Olivia knew that Lee was not like _that_. She loved Jim. But she had not given consideration for Barbara, not really. Lee supposed she had been in a similar position to Olivia.

"You had no right to say that."

"I just don't think it is fair for you to talk to me like that when we both know you never really told Barbara about you and Lee. She was your fiancée, Jim…and you…I think it is hypocritical for you to stand there and chastise me for what I have done."

"Barbara and I were over and we both knew it deep down. We might not have said it explicitly, but we knew," Jim said to his sister. "That is the difference, Olivia. We had split up. Ed and Kristen were in Lee's kitchen eating dinner happily. Kristen does not think they have split up."

Olivia suspected that was clearly the main difference. She knew that it was. It had to be. She said nothing then. Instead she sniffed and did her best not to feel overwhelmed. She didn't want to feel like this. She wanted to be happy, but more than that she wanted Ed.

"I'm going to change and go," Olivia said.

"No," Lee sad, shaking her head, "stay here, Liv. It is fine. Jim is just angry. We can work this out."

"No," Olivia responded. "I don't want to do this tonight. I don't want to argue or talk about it. I just want to go home."

"Well let me drive-"

"-You've been drinking," Olivia said, interrupting Lee. "I'll call a cab."

Jim watched his sister move back towards the guest bedroom as Lee shot a glare in his direction and he shrugged his shoulders back. She groaned loudly as Jim took another drink of his wine and Lee wondered just what she could do to make this better.

…

It was eleven by the time Olivia returned to her apartment. She had changed into her own pyjamas after showering and had sat on the sofa. She had been about to reach for her glass of wine when she heard a knock on the door. She only hoped it wasn't Jim as she walked towards it and pulled it open. She had no need to worry. Standing in front of her, Ed was wearing the same outfit he had worn to dinner.

"Ed," she whispered.

"I had to come," he informed her. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Olivia said, pulling the door open wider and stepping back to let Ed in. he looked to her as she closed the door and locked it behind him. Turning around, she barely had time to do anything before she felt Ed's hands grabbing hold of her cheeks, his mouth latching onto hers as he bent down, kissing her.

Olivia startled for a moment as her back pressed against the door and she grabbed hold of Ed by the shoulders, wondering exactly what he was doing. This wasn't Ed. Ed was never this forward. He moved his hands downwards, grabbing hold of her thighs as he hauled her up into his arms, giving her no choice but to hold onto his neck. He stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the sofa with Olivia on top of him, still kissing him. He shrugged from his coat and dropped it to the floor.

"Ed," Olivia whispered his name, pulling away from his mouth as he went to kiss the side of her neck, his teeth scraping the skin there. She groaned loudly as her hands went to his chest and she tried to push herself back. "Ed…what…what are you doing?"

" _Can you feel her pressing against you? She wants this. She wants you. She's basically grinding herself against you."_

"It's you," Ed finally said, feeling his confidence remain as he looked her in the eye. "Olivia, it's always been you, never Kristen."

"I know," Olivia promised him, holding onto his cheeks to stop him from leaning in to kiss her again, knowing that her self-restraint only went so far. "Ed, I feel the same, but…do you mean it? Because all of this time I knew it would always be me against Kristen."

"How many times do I need to tell you?" Ed asked from Olivia. "You are the only one I want. I promise, Olivia."

"Ed, I'm sorry," Olivia said to him and Ed felt any sense of inappropriateness leaving him as he heard her voice break. Moving his hands to her waist, he let his fingers splay, trying to hold onto as much of her as possible. He kept her perched in his lap, eyes remaining set on her. "Why did we not say all of this sooner? Why did we not just admit this earlier? I…I shouldn't have waited."

"And I should have understood that Kristen was not the one for me sooner," Ed said. "I should have admitted the truth to myself, Liv. I should have admitted sooner and made you see the truth."

"You want to do this?" Olivia asked him, looking into his eyes. "You want me?"

"I want nothing else," Ed promised her.

"From now on we have to be honest with each other, Ed," she said to him, hands running along his shoulders. "We have to tell the truth…not keep secrets…"

Edward closed his eyes then. Did she really want that? Would she really be able to handle the truth? Looking her in the eye as he moved a hand up to her cheek, he stroked it softly, keeping quiet as he watched her.

" _Secrets already? You've agreed to be together for, what, a minute? And already you're considering keeping it from her. You should tell her the truth. She deserves to know all of you and if she can't handle it then we will deal with that. We will have her."_

"Liv," Ed whispered, voice slightly shaky. "I…I wanted to tell you. I have wanted to tell you for a long time, but after the Ogre and everything else I didn't know how to. I didn't want to burden you, but I knew that you would understand. You would understand why I did it."

"What is it?" Olivia asked him. "Is this to do with why you were acting weird?"

"Yes," Ed said to her. "It is exactly to do with that."

"Then talk to me," she urged from him.

"It…Officer Dougherty," he said to her. "He had been attacking Kristen Kringle and you had gone missing, Liv. You had gone missing and I was thinking the worst. I was thinking about how I couldn't stop him from taking you and I was scared about what he might have done. I was terrified and then I saw Officer Dougherty."

Olivia remained silent, uncertain of where Ed was going with this as he adjusted his glasses.

"He taunted me about what he had been doing to Kristen. He said how I would understand if I was with you…how sometimes women needed to be taught a lesson…how I might need to take you in hand to show you that you were mine," Ed said, feeling some of his anger return. He continued watching Olivia, trying to work out what she was thinking. "And I had to put a stop to him. I had let you get hurt, Olivia. You were my friend and I couldn't protect you. I wasn't going to let Dougherty get away with it…hurt Kristen."

Olivia gulped once, wondering if her mind was running away with her. He couldn't be telling her what she thought he was telling her. This was Ed. This was sweet, caring Ed.

"Ed," she whispered his name. "What did you do?"

"I went to stop him from seeing Kristen," Ed said. "I told him to leave her alone. He…he started to punch me, Olivia…and I…I had a knife with me. I stabbed him. I had to stop him, Olivia."

Olivia felt her cheeks drain of colour. This was not possible. Ed could not have done this to Dougherty. He could not have killed someone.

"Did you…you killed him?" she asked him.

Ed nodded his head once. "Yes," he said.

He watched then, wondering what she was going to do. She didn't pull herself from him. She didn't extract herself from his lap. Her hands remained on his shoulders as he moved to grip her hips, his fingertips digging into her skin as he kept her against him. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want her to flee. He wouldn't be able to bear it if she did.

"What did you do with the body?" she asked him, remembering how Dougherty had supposedly left a note to Kristen explaining he had left town. "And the note?"

"I disposed of the body at work," Ed said to her. "I wrote the note to get rid of him…stop people asking about him."

Olivia remained mute, looking over Ed's shoulder as she did her best to gather her thoughts. Ed moved his forehead to press against hers, bringing her gaze to his as he brushed his nose with hers.

"Talk to me," he pleaded from her. "Tell me what you are thinking."

"Ed, I don't know what to think," Olivia finally said, her mouth feeling dry. "We…we have gone from barely talking to you telling me you want us to be together to confessing a murder. I don't know how to process any of this."

"I get that it is a lot to take in," he promised her. "But you said no lies and this is the truth, Olivia. This is the truth and this is me…a man who has issues…who likes riddles too much, perhaps…but a man who just wanted to protect not only you, but another woman who was being abused…because I couldn't protect you and all I ever wanted to do was protect you."

Thinking about what he was saying, she began to understand. He hadn't wanted to do it. He had wanted to protect Kristen. He had stopped a bad man from hurting her. He had stopped someone from hurting her. Olivia should know all about that.

"If you didn't stop him then who knows what he might have done," Olivia said to Ed and she wondered if she was trying to fool herself. Was this her in denial? She was struggling to comprehend what Ed had told her. But it had been an accident. He said that he hadn't meant it. He had wanted to protect Kristen. She was being abused.

"Exactly," Ed whispered to her.

"Christ," Olivia complained and pushed herself from Ed then.

Standing on shaky feet, she moved to tuck her hair behind her ears while Ed leant forwards, hands clasped together. He watched her as she began pacing up and down the living room, hands raking through her hair and shaking.

"I have dealt with it, Olivia," Ed promised her. "There will be no repercussions."

"Are you sure?" she asked him. "Because you have told me, Ed. I'm complicit in covering this up…I know this secret…and my brother…Jim is a detective…he…if he knew…"

"He doesn't need to know," Ed said quickly, leaping up with a confident stride to take hold of her by her lower arms, stopping her from pacing. "Olivia, he does not need to know about any of this."

"He was looking for him," Olivia reminded Ed.

"And now he isn't because I threw him off the scent with that note," Ed promised her, voice attempting to be soothing. He wanted her to realise that there was nothing to worry about. Ed had all of this sorted. He would keep them safe.

Olivia moved from Ed's grip, stepping back from him as she buried her head into her hands and shook her head, turning away from him. Why did he have to do this? Why did he have to tell her? She would have been happier living in ignorance. She would have been ignorant. She wanted to be ignorant.

"Olivia, please," Ed pleaded with her, moving to stand behind her, the heat of his body radiating against her back. "Please believe me that none of this will go anywhere. We can be together. We can be happy. Please…just let this go."

"Lying to Jim…I…I don't know if I can," Olivia said to him, finally looking back to him as Ed cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"It isn't lying," Ed promised her. "The chances of him asking you anything and you having to lie is slim."

"He would understand, Ed. You did what you did-"

"-I murdered him," Ed said, interrupting her and she winced. "He attacked me, but I stabbed him. I killed him…murdered him…they would send me to jail, Olivia. I would not be able to get out of it. Please…I only told you because I knew you would understand and you want no secrets between us."

"If…if I agree to this, Ed, I need you to promise me that there are no loose strings," she urged from him. "Officer Dougherty is gone and nothing can come back and be reflected on you. Promise me that."

"I promise," Ed said to her. "Olivia, I promise."

"And Kristen?" Olivia asked him.

"She is not suspicious," he promised her. "She thinks he has skipped town and she is okay with that after what he did to her. She…I left her and she was fine this evening."

Olivia's brows furrowed. "She was fine after you broke up with her?"

"Well, I…technically I have not broken up with her yet," Ed said and Olivia stepped back from him, moving his hands from her. "Olivia, I am going to do it tomorrow night, I promise you. I did not come here because I thought that I could have both of you…or that I even want both of you. You are it, Olivia. You have been for months."

"You should go, Ed," Olivia said to him, voice shaking. "You cannot stay here tonight if she does not know and I need time to process."

Ed remained a distance from her as she bent down and picked his coat up.

"Promise me you're not going to talk to Jim," Ed urged her.

"I won't," she said to him. "He's not really talking to me anyway, Ed. He's…we said some hurtful things to each other after dinner…he's…well…I think he's disappointed in me."

"Jim will come around," Ed promised her. "He is your brother, Olivia. He loves you."

"I know," was all Olivia offered him. "You should go, Ed."

"Can we talk tomorrow?"

"After you have spoken with Kristen. I don't want to feel any shitter than I do right now."

"Listen to me," Ed urged from her, shrugging into his coat as she handed it to him. He took hold of one of her hands inside of his. He squeezed her fingers and stepped closer to her, his other hand going to the side of her cheek and he tucked her hair over her shoulder. "This is as bad as it will get. I will end things with Kristen. I will come back to you and you won't have to worry about anything…Dougherty…he will be forgotten. Kristen will move on and we will be together. Your brother will accept that."

Olivia wanted to believe him. She wanted him to be telling her the truth as he leant down and kissed her on the forehead, feeling her leaning into his touch as he let his lips remain on her forehead.

"I will be back," Ed finally whispered, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"Okay," was all Olivia could say to him and he turned on his heel and left her apartment, one quick glance back to her before he closed the door. He would make all of this right.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	21. Chapter 21

Lee had not been bothered when Selina Kyle had broken into her apartment and held her at gunpoint. She had heard about this kid and she knew that she had links to Jim. Lee had simply sat at the dining table and waited for Jim to come back, making small talk with Selina and wondering what the girl wanted. Apparently Jim had promised to find her friend and bring her home safely. She was wanted in connection with the burning down of Wayne Enterprise buildings. But Jim had walked back in with bad news. He had been forced to tell Selina that her friend, Bridgit, had not come quietly. She had not made it out alive.

"Tough day, huh?" Lee checked with him after Selina had stormed out and Jim had grabbed a beer from the fridge. She moved to stand in front of him, hands going to his shoulders. He scoffed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment.

"Yeah," he said to her. "The case is getting deeper. It feels like a tunnel we cannot see the end of."

"You will," Lee said confidently. "You will get there, Jim. I know you. You won't give up until you do."

"I guess so," Jim responded and the two of them went to sit on the sofa. "So how was your day?"

"I bumped into Ed," Lee said. "It was inevitable, really, we work next door to each other. I told him that I knew what had happened and he…well…he looked awkward and said that he was going to sort things out. He still hasn't told Kristen. She was with me today and she said she wished that Ed would do something to spice up their relationship."

Jim snorted then. "Well, she's going to get a shock then. What do you think he intends to do? How does he intend to sort it?"

"My best guess would be that he is going to break things off with Kristen," Lee shrugged. "He didn't really elaborate and I didn't push him. He is an adult and he can make his own mind up."

"Do you think he will?" Jim wondered. "I mean, break up with Kristen and then be with Olivia?"

"I think that is what he wants," Lee shrugged. "If he didn't want that then he wouldn't have spent our double date with your sister in the guest room. He is besotted with her. I've seen the way he looks at her and compared it to how he looks at Kristen. It is clear as day."

"I guess," Jim said, not bothering to deny that Lee had a point on that front. "I guess I am just worried, Lee. Olivia pushed Ed away for so long and it took her seeing him with someone else to get jealous and realise how she felt. Is that the basis to form a stable a relationship?"

Lee rolled her eyes and folded one leg over the other, her arm going over the back of the sofa. Shaking her head, she let her lips quirk. "Jim, we cannot talk about having stable relationships. Look at how we got together," she reminded him. "I know that you two had an argument, but Olivia is your sister, Jim. If I know her like I think I know her then it will be killing her inside thinking you are mad with her or don't want to talk to her."

"I know," Jim said. "It's all I've been thinking about, Lee. I know that I should go and see her, but she…I was angry with her and she said some-"

"-She told the truth," Lee shrugged at Jim, interrupting him. "We both know that we developed feelings for each other before you had a chance to break things off properly with Barbara. She knew that and eventually accepted it."

"She was angry to begin with."

"Then maybe you have both been hypocritical," Lee said again. "But I know that you need to go to her, Jim. She needs you just like you need her."

"Tomorrow," Jim said. "I'll go and see her tomorrow."

…

Olivia had barely slept in two days. She had napped on and off, waking and remembering what Ed had told her. She had hoped that it had all been just a dream, but she remembered it wasn't. Ed had killed someone. He had murdered someone and had admitted it to her. She had drunk numerous cups of tea during the day, pacing up and down as she tried to figure out what to do. She knew what she should do. She should tell Jim. She should explain that it had been a mistake. Ed had been acting in self-defence. Of course, Ed had not told her that the first stab had been the accident. The subsequent blows had been because it made him feel good.

But then Ed would lose everything. There would be no way he would be able to work at the GCPD again. He might avoid jail time, depending on if there was a trial. It was a gamble. She had Ed's secret in the palm of her hands and she was gambling with his life. This was Ed's life at stake.

" _What good would telling Jim do?"_ she had asked herself as she stared in the mirror brushing her teeth on the second day after the revelation. _"One life has been taken. If you told Jim then Ed's freedom would be taken…his life would change…all because he killed an abusive cop. Is Dougherty worth Ed?"_

Spitting into the sink, Olivia straightened herself up, tugging on the black dress she wore before moving into her living room. She reached for her white and black checked jacket and shrugged into it, slipping her heels onto her feet. Grabbing her satchel and keys from the coffee table, she left the apartment for work. There was a meeting going on before the kids returned from break that she had to attend.

Her cell began to buzz as she neared her car. Picking it out of her bag as she stood by her vehicle, she saw it was Ed.

"Ed," she greeted him.

"I need to see you tonight," Ed said, voice slightly frantic.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he responded. "I just need to see you, Olivia. Please."

"I have an all day meeting. I'll come to your apartment after work."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Bye, Ed."

…

Ed had been pacing up and down the length of his apartment waiting for Olivia. He had laced his hands together, fingers drumming nervously against themselves. He needed to know that this was it. Nothing was going to happen to them now. He had spoken with Kristen and told her exactly what he felt. She had not been happy. In fact, she had accused him of toying with her.

" _Can you believe her, huh? You toying with her after all these months."_

He had only said how sorry he was. She had snapped at him and told him that he was nothing but a freak and she hoped that he would be happy with Olivia because she was damaged goods. Ed had told her not to speak about Olivia like that and Kristen had quietened down. She had demanded to know if Ed had been sneaking around behind her back with Gordon's little sister. Ed had promised her that he hadn't, but she didn't believe him. He didn't care. He had told her that he would gather the things she had left at his apartment for her to collect one evening and he had walked off.

Ed felt his stomach churn as he heard a knock on his door. He rushed over and opened it, revealing Olivia. She had her bag on her shoulder and wore a smart black dress and jacket. Her heels were quite high, but not high enough to put her at the same height as Ed. Her hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, but she didn't look happy. She looked anxious.

"Olivia," Ed whispered her name.

"Ed," she responded, sensing the awkwardness between them.

"Come in," Ed urged from her, stepping back to let her enter the apartment.

Closing the door behind her, he turned around as he heard the voice in his head.

" _Look at her wearing that tight dress that shows everything off. It's going to be fine. She wants you, but you have to be confident if you want to keep her. She's more experienced than you…but I bet pleasing her will be an art…an art we need to master."_

"Can I get you some tea?" Ed asked her.

"Yes, please," she nodded and Ed went to the stove, pouring the hot water into a mug and dropping in a herbal tea bag. He let it brew before turning to look at her. She held onto one of his chairs and placed her bag on top of it before stepping out of her heels.

"So," Ed said, trying to begin conversation, "I broke things off with Kristen."

"How did she take it?" Olivia wondered, removing her jacket and placing it on top of her bag. Her arms were bare then, but Ed could note a small bit of her black bra strap poking out from under her dress.

"Not well," Ed admitted to her, scratching the back of his neck before handing her the mug of tea. His hand brushed hers as she took it from him, holding onto it with both of her hands. Ed stood still then, barely a few inches from her as she let her eyes focus on the knot in his tie instead of looking up to him. "I told her that I was sorry for messing her around, but I realised that it was not fair for us to continue with our relationship, not when I had feelings for you."

"I see," was all that Olivia said and Ed let out a deep breath, almost in frustration.

" _She sees? What is that supposed to mean? You've waited around for her and now she can't even give you anything else. She stands there and acts impassive. Who does she think she is?"_

"I've thought long and hard about this," Olivia said and Ed continued to look down to her as she held the mug of warm tea. "I've done nothing else but think about it to be honest, Ed, and I…I won't tell Jim."

Saying the words out loud made it sound real now, especially because she was talking to Ed. Finally she dared to peer up at him and he felt his hands twitch by his side. He wanted to grab hold of her and keep her against him. He wanted to feel her body against his and know that this was real. She was really his now.

"You won't?" he checked with her.

"What you did was an accident," Olivia said. "And Dougherty sounded like a horrible man. That doesn't mean that he deserved to die, but what you did was to protect Kristen. Anyone would see that and the police would too if you told them…maybe…I don't know…and I don't want to gamble with your life, Ed. The thought of you going to jail over this isn't fair. Dougherty is gone. He ruined enough lives. Why should he ruin anymore?"

Taking the mug from her hands, Ed set it down on his table. He was unable to contain himself, looking at her with wide eyes and a concerned expression on his face. Bending down at his knees, he moved a hand to her cheek.

"Thank you," he said to her.

"Don't thank me," she whispered.

"You're looking out for me, Olivia. No one…no one has done that in a long time," he admitted to her.

"You don't deserve to suffer," Olivia responded simply.

"I…I don't know what else to say," Ed informed her, a hand going to push his glasses further up his nose as he sniffed and Olivia finally moved to hold onto his neck, her touch causing him to shudder.

"Nothing," she said. "You don't need to say anything about this again. We move on, okay? Dougherty is gone and I have made my decision, regardless of what happens. I…I chose to stand by you…because…because I care for you…because I think after everything that has happened…I'm falling in love with you."

She had finally admitted it. She had finally told him the truth. Ed managed a smile at that, his teeth bared as he continued to watch her. She looked so self-conscious. It was almost as though she had no idea which direction to look in. Taking the initiative, Ed bent down, his lips pressing against hers as she closed her eyes and his hands moved to cup her waist, drawing her tightly against him. Pulling back, he kissed down the side of her neck, feeling her shiver and hearing her moan as he nipped at her skin. He reached a hand around her, his fingers curling into her hair and pulling her head back. She let out a small gasp before feeling his warm breath by her ear.

"I love you, Olivia," he decided on saying. He hadn't fallen in love with her. He was definitely in love with her. "I love you and want you…I want you to be mine…my Olivia."

She felt butterflies in her stomach at hearing him as he went back to kissing her neck and she moved her shaky hands down his body, feeling his flat and taut stomach as she finally reached his belt buckle. He pulled back from her then, leaning slightly away. Looking down to her, she wondered if she had done something wrong before he took hold of her hands and pulled them from his body.

"I…did you not want me to?" Olivia asked him.

"I do," he assured her, "more than you know, but not before I have exactly what I want from you, Olivia."

"What?" Olivia asked, wondering what he was on about. Was this even the same Ed she knew? He was acting odd. He was overly confident, like he knew just what effect he was having on her.

Chuckling, he reached for the belt around her dress. Unclasping it, he tossed it to the side before letting his hands reach down for the bottom of her dress. He tugged it upwards, his fingers tickling along her bare skin as he ran his hands up her thighs, finally having her dress bunched up at her waist. He kept her dress there and he leaned in to kiss her squarely on the lips.

"I want you writhing in pleasure and screaming my name before I take anything from you," he said hotly and she blushed crimson red as Ed kissed his way down her clothed stomach, finally kneeling in front of her. She collapsed back against the table as he kissed the inside of her thigh and gave in to him completely.

….

Olivia had no idea Ed had a confident streak inside of him. But after they had spent the night together, she was hardly complaining. She had slept soundly in Ed's bed as he rested next to her. Waking up the following morning, he had greeted her with a cup of tea and had prepared waffles for breakfast. She had tugged on one of his plain white tops and sat at the kitchen table with him, eating breakfast and talking about everything and nothing. He was in his pyjamas and had watched her intently the entire time they ate.

Leaving for work, Ed had kissed her as she stood by her car, trying to think of excuses to call in sick so he could take her back up to his apartment and spend the day with her. She was intoxicating him.

Olivia had told Ed to come by to her apartment that night and she would cook them dinner, but her mind was elsewhere completely. It had been a long time since she had been intimate with anyone else, but no one had ever made her feel as Ed had done the previous night. She had wondered about his previous experience. He had told her that he did not date much. He had never had a serious relationship. So where had he learned half of the things he knew? She didn't know, but she definitely did not complain.

Pulling up outside of her apartment block, Olivia looked to the sidewalk and saw a familiar figure standing there. Frowning as Jim remained perched on the wall, she stopped her car and climbed out. She knew that she looked a mess. She had washed her hair and let it dry naturally. Her clothes were the same as the day before and it was eight in the morning. Why would she be pulling up to her house at eight in the morning?

"Jim," Olivia said, looking to her brother.

"Liv, I have been trying to call you," Jim complained to his sister. "I thought that I would drive by on my way to work. I went in, but you weren't there…so I called someone who might know where you were."

"And he told you I was on my way home?"

"Did you…well…you know…"

"Yeah," she said, "I spent the night at Ed's."

"So you two are official, huh?"

"We didn't exactly put a label on it last night, but I guess so," Olivia responded.

Jim frowned. "Then what were you doing if not talking?"

Olivia blushed again and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Do you really want to know?"

"Not really," Jim said. "It was a stupid question. Anyway, I just came round because I wanted to see how you were and to apologise about the other night. I was angry and hypocritical. I see that now. I don't want to fight, Liv."

Olivia let out a sigh of relief and nodded her head. "I'm sorry too," she admitted to him. "I didn't want to fight, Jim, and I am sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it."

"I know," Jim said. "We were just caught in the moment, Liv. Can we move on?"

"I want to," Olivia said and moved to hold her brother. Wrapping his arms around her, Jim squeezed her tightly before pulling back and tugging on a lock of her hair as she smiled at him.

"I should get going," Jim said. "I have some cases I need to look into. Hey, while I'm here, Ed hasn't mentioned anything about Officer Dougherty, has he?"

Olivia tried not to freeze. Folding her arms, she shrugged. "Was he the guy Kristen was dating? Ed said that he was abusive. Apparently he skipped town?"

"Yeah, but his bank cards haven't been used since he sent that note," Jim said to his sister. "He's maybe gone off grid, but I need to close the case before the boss gets on at me. Just wondered if Ed had said anything to you."

Did Jim know? Olivia doubted it. How could he? She shook her head. "Only what Kristen told him."

"I'll see if she knows anything else," Jim said and moved to his car, unlocking it. "I'll call you later, Liv. Lee wants you to come round for dinner this weekend…if you're up for it?"

"Sounds good," Olivia said to her brother and he smiled as he climbed into his car.

Olivia waved him off before letting out the breath she had been holding in and moving into her apartment, a sense of dread running through her alongside a large amount of guilt.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	22. Chapter 22

Ed had managed to reassure Olivia that Jim would not find anything out about Officer Dougherty. He had said nothing to Kristen and he had no intention of saying anything. Jim would not find anything and eventually Dougherty would become a cold case. He would be forgotten from everyone's mind and Ed would be in the clear.

He had spent most of his evenings with Olivia, cooking dinner for her and enjoying her company. Most of their evenings ended with them sleeping together. Ed would stay over at Olivia's some nights and other nights she would spend at his. He had to admit that, when it came to pleasing Olivia, he could feel the voice in the back of his head take over. He was more confident and domineering and, by the way Olivia moaned underneath him, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she enjoyed it more than she would let on.

It was one Friday evening when she found herself in the GCPD precinct. She had agreed to pick Ed up from work considering his car had broken down. She had met Lee in the lobby on her way in and the doctor had greeted her with a warm embrace, both the women now more than comfortable in each other's presence.

"Long time no see," Lee commented as she let go of Olivia and noted the form fitting green dress she wore. "You look…really hot."

Olivia laughed and raked a hand through her hair, knowing that the dress was one of her best. She had decided to wear heels and had her hair hanging loose down her back. "It's just a dress I had in the wardrobe for a long time," Olivia said.

"So nothing to do with you meeting Ed for dinner?"

Olivia shrugged and almost blushed. "We're going to some fancy bar this evening," Olivia said.

"So how are things going with Ed?" Lee asked and then took hold of the files she had come for from reception. She began walking and took hold of Olivia by the arm. "Come on, you're going to walk with me and tell me everything."

"There isn't much to tell," Olivia informed Lee, wrapping her arm through Lee's. "Things have been great for the past few weeks. I'm…spending time with Ed has been great. He's really great, Lee. He cooks for me and we've spent every night together."

"Really? So that is why I haven't seen you around for a long time?" Lee asked her.

"Sorry about that," Olivia responded. "I tried to call the other night, but Jim said that you guys were out on date night and then he told me about everything going on, what with the escaped convicts. I was wondering if, maybe, you might be free this weekend?"

"I have Saturday afternoon free," Lee said and opened the door to her office, letting Olivia step in. "Did you want to grab lunch?"

"Sounds great," Olivia said and moved to sit down in the chair that Lee indicated to her. The doctor tossed her files onto her desk and smirked. Lee moved her own chair from out behind her desk, wheeling it so that she could sit next to Olivia. Folding one leg over the other, she leaned back as her white lab coat fell open around her.

"So, go on," Lee urged her. "What is he like to date? I only work with him and he is sweet, but what is he like outside of work?"

"He's…I think what you see is what you get," Olivia decided on saying. "When I am with him everything feels natural. We can just be together in silence and I don't feel awkward. He is the best cook and he is really like a gentleman. I mean, I don't care about someone opening doors for me, but when Ed does it…well…it just makes me feel lucky. He cares so much, Lee. It feels weird, but I love it…I think I love him."

"Wow," Lee said, eyes wide as she heard Olivia speak. Shrugging her shoulders, Olivia tucked her hair behind her ears again. "Olivia, how long have you felt like this? You've only been dating a few weeks."

"I've known Ed a long time now," Olivia said. "It's like you said before, Lee, I've been in denial about everything. It's only now, when I am with him, when I realise that I should have done something sooner."

"God, this is serious," Lee said. "Have you guys…well…you know?"

"Oh yeah," Olivia said and Lee's mouth gaped. "Like, every night."

"Seriously?" Lee demanded from her. "What is he like?"

"It's weird," Olivia said. "Ed is usually meek and mild. He isn't the one who takes charge of anything. We both know that, but as soon as we are in the bedroom he changes. It's like a switch flicks inside of him and he's…well…he's enthusiastic. He's different to anyone else I've been with."

"I don't even know what to say," Lee admitted, holding her hands up.

"Neither do I," Olivia replied. "I mean, I don't know what happens to him, but I'm not complaining. The other night I had the best or-"

"-Liv, what are you doing here?" Jim's voice entered the room and Lee's smile continued to grow slyly as Olivia's brother interrupted their conversation. Olivia threw a knowing glance over to Lee and stood up. Turning to look to her brother, Olivia smiled and stepped towards him.

"I'm picking Ed up from work. His car is in the garage," Olivia said, embracing Jim. "Lee found me in the lobby and we were just talking about where to go this weekend for lunch."

"Well this is a pleasant surprise anyway," Jim said. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Sorry about that," Olivia said. "Timings for both of us have been off. How is work anyway? You were on some kind of stakeout when I last called."

"Busy," Jim admitted to his sister. "The new Mayoral candidate, you know, Theo Galavan, he wants my endorsement. I'm trying to avoid him and stay out of politics."

"Wise decision," Olivia said to Jim. "But you're okay?"

"Fine," Jim assured her, knowing how his sister worried. He looked down to her and his eyes widened as he finally noted her dress. "Jesus, Liv…where did that dress come from?"

Rolling her eyes, Olivia folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not eighteen, Jim. You can't have a go at me for what I am wearing. Anyway, I need to go and find Ed. Lee," Olivia said and looked to her, "text me where you want to meet, yeah?"

"Got it," Lee nodded.

Olivia pecked her brother on the cheek. "Stay safe and please try and stop working long enough for us to have dinner one evening."

"I will do my best," he assured her and watched as she left.

Walking down the corridor, Olivia moved towards Ed's office. She knocked on the door once she reached his office. She could hear him moving around in the room and she smiled to herself as he opened the door, pushing his glasses onto his nose as he saw her stood there.

"Olivia," he spoke her name in a rushed tone. "I am so sorry, I will be done in a few minutes. I promise. Come on in."

He stepped aside and let her in, instantly feeling his mouth dry as he watched the back of her. She removed her jacket and draped it over his desk as she looked around his workstation. He had a desk in the corner and in the middle of the room was a large stainless steel worktop with a microscope on it and numerous petri dishes dotted around, alongside a mug of tea that looked like it had gone cold. There was a model skeleton in the corner and a door that led onto another corridor.

"What are you working on?" Olivia asked from Ed as he closed the door and walked back to his stool, eyes still on Olivia as he held the back of his chair and stood facing him.

"A Jane Doe was found on the docks," he said to her. "I am examining to see if I can find anything useful from the dirt gathered underneath her nails."

"Any luck so far?"

"Not so far," Ed said and he looked to the microscope, focusing on it and instead of Olivia, knowing that his self-restrain could only go so far if he saw her in that tight dress again. He could hear her walking around the office, her heels clicking on the floor before Ed quit and realised he couldn't see anything.

"I think I am out of luck," Ed said to her.

"Want me to take a look?" Olivia wondered from him and he wondered what she was doing before she stood in front of him. Bending down, she perched so that she was hovering just above his lap. Ed reached out, hands moving to grab hold of her hips as she looked through the microscope, knowing what she was doing as she shook her head. She leaned back, Ed's front now pressing to her back as she turned her head to the side and looked at him.

"You know," she whispered into his ear, "I've been thinking about you all day."

Ed arched a brow. "Is that so?" he asked from her.

"Hmm," she hummed her agreement, a hand running into his hair and holding it tightly. "After this morning, I kept thinking about how to drive you as crazy as you drove me."

"And what did you come up with? Was wearing that dress not enough?"

"Oh, not quite," Olivia responded and kissed him slowly and sensually, feeling his hands tighten on her hips before she pulled back, biting his lip and making him gasp loudly as she whispered in his ear, voice hot and heavy. "I decided not to wear underwear."

He groaned then and moved so that he was stood up. He moved his hands to the top of her thighs, pulling up her dress slowly as he bent over her, voice now in her ear. "Hands on the table," he demanded from her.

She complied, feeling his long fingers moving up her bare thigh and teasing her skin as his lips moved down the side of her neck. He was almost done with teasing her, his fingers dangerously close to where she needed him when the door to his office opened wide, no etiquette of knocking. Jumping back, Ed tried to pull Olivia's dress down as she stood up straight, cheeks flushed and neck red from where Ed had been nipping. Looking to the door, Olivia watched on as Kristen Kringle stood there, folders in her grip.

"I have the files you requested," she said, eyes finally settling on the sight in front of her.

Kristen pursed her lips as she saw the two of them. They had clearly been caught in a compromising position. She noted the redness of Olivia's neck and how her dress was crumpled, riding dangerously high on her thighs. Ed's glasses had fallen down his nose and his own face was slightly flushed, hair dishevelled.

"Thank you, yes," Ed said, hands on his own hips as he remained stood behind Olivia. "Could you drop them on the desk?"

Kristen plonked them down, not caring for neatness. "From records we found the woman at the docks had been arrested before."

"I see," Ed nodded his head. "And she…well…I know that her profession was working in the Narrows."

"She was a whore," Kristen said, but her eyes were looking directly at Olivia.

Olivia had the nerve to hold Kristen's gaze, refusing to back down or let Kristen get to her. She knew that dig was meant for her. It was clear as day why she had said it.

"I hardly think there is need for that language," he said, knowing what Kristen was doing. "Anyway, thank you, Miss Kringle."

"Mr Nygma," she curtly said and turned on her heel to leave, slamming the door shut behind her.

Olivia tilted her head back and felt herself feel a slight sense of guilt. Ed's arms wrapped around her, holding her waist as he bent down and kissed the space between her neck and shoulder, nose running along her skin.

"Ignore her," he urged from her.

"That couldn't have been nice for her, no matter how much I detest her," Olivia said to him. "I mean, she basically caught you about to screw me against your desk."

His arms around her gripped even tighter as he moaned lowly against her skin. "Do not put that image in my head if you don't want it to happen," he urged from her and she chuckled, closing her eyes.

"How about a compromise?" she asked him, turning to face him. "We skip dinner and instead of screwing me on your desk at work, you can screw me on your desk at home? At least we won't get caught then."

"I can work with that," Ed said.

…

Olivia sat eating pancakes on the Saturday morning in Ed's bed. He was sat in front of her, his legs crossed as he picked at the plate of pancakes with his own fork. He had doused them in maple syrup and strawberries, icing sugar covering them. Olivia was wearing one of his checked shirts, the duvet resting in her lap. He had changed into his sweats and a grey top, glasses removed from his eyes as he ate with her.

"I promised Lee that I would grab lunch with her today," Olivia informed Ed. She picked at another pancake on the plate between them. "Did you want to have dinner tonight again?"

"Sure," Ed said with a nod. "Although it might be best if you swing by after eight."

"Why?" Olivia asked him, moving to grab the glass of orange juice on the bedside table. Taking a sip on it, she kept it in her hands as Ed placed his fork down.

"Kristen is coming around to pick up her stuff," Ed said to her. "I told her that I would bring it to her, but she insisted on coming round. I thought that it might be best if you two avoided each other."

"I can agree with that," Olivia said.

"And I was also thinking," Ed continued, "that, if you want to, you can have a drawer here…keep your things here instead of dragging that holdall with you whenever you stay."

Olivia frowned then and peered into her orange juice. "So you move Kristen's stuff out a drawer and then offer it to me?"

"What?" Ed asked her. "No, Olivia, no, it isn't like that. She never had her stuff here…only some things…don't say it like that."

"It kind of feels like it," Olivia said.

Ed moved and took her glass from her. He placed it back on the table and pushed the pancakes aside. Kneeling in front of her, Ed took hold of her cheeks in his hands and he looked down to her, forehead brushing hers. "I want you to bring your stuff here because I cannot imagine spending a night apart from you now," Ed whispered to her. "I want you in my life…I want you as a permanent fixture in my life, Olivia. I love you. Do not doubt that."

"I don't," Olivia said to him. "It just felt like bad timing to tell me you wanted me to move stuff in."

"I did not mean for it to be," Ed said to her and kissed her chastely. "I love you."

"I love you too," Olivia said, kissing him again.

Ed let her move after that, watching as she walked into the bathroom and he began tidying up their breakfast.

" _You know, she knows about what you did to Dougherty and she still accepted you. She enjoys it whenever I take over for a short period…maybe she'd enjoy it if you just accepted who you are, Ed? Maybe that is who she wants?"_

"She does not need you," Ed mumbled, filling the sink up to wash the dishes. "She loves me. She loves me as I am."

" _She loves me whenever I have her moaning underneath us. Don't pretend that it doesn't excite you. I think that you know that. You know that if you let me out for a spin…showed her how confident you can be…she'd love it."_

"She is mine," Ed mumbled. "She is not yours…I will not let you have her."

" _And how long do you think you can keep me at bay? I am a part of you, Eddie boy. It won't be long until you realise that she is ours."_

"Ed," Olivia's voice rang out and he whirled around, slightly startled. She was still dressed in his shirt, peeking out from the bathroom. "Can I borrow a towel?"

"Of course, yes," Ed said, moving quickly to the cupboard in the corner and pulling a towel out. He handed it to her and she went back into the bathroom as he controlled his breathing, swearing that he would do everything he could to protect Olivia from the voice that wanted to take over.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	23. Chapter 23

Ed woke up and he had no recollection of anything that had happened the previous night. He was sweating, his stomach was churning and his head was pounding. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. Olivia was next to him, still sleeping. He knew that he was in his bed. He knew that it was Sunday. He knew that Olivia was supposed to come to his on the Saturday night after he had dealt with Kristen Kringle. But when had she arrived? What had they done?

Looking to her as she remained breathing softly, he clocked her appearance. Her hair was mussed up and her back was bare. Ed peeked underneath the duvet and noted that both of them were naked. How could they have had sex and he not remember? He remembered everything about being intimate with Olivia.

" _Oh, yeah, after you kind of got rid of Kristen you gave me a spin in your body. I've got to say, your little girlfriend isn't quiet, is she? I'm surprised the neighbours didn't complain about her screaming."_

Ed looked to the vision in front of him, his own appearance staring back at him. He was dressed in Ed's blue suit with checked shirt, no glasses on his eyes and his hair was slicked back. He had a cocky grin on his face, almost as though he was teasing Ed.

Moving from the bed, Ed didn't want to wake Olivia as he walked into the bathroom, grabbing his boxers as he went. He pulled them over his legs and locked the bathroom door. Moving to the sink, he gathered water into his hands and tossed it over his face. Kristen. Kristen had come around.

Oh no. Ed felt the realisation of what had happened sweep over him. Looking into the mirror, he saw the vision looking back at him cockily, brow arched on his forehead.

" _Slowly remembering, Eddie boy?"_ he teased him.

"No," Ed whispered. "I didn't…I couldn't…"

" _Oh, but you did,"_ he teased him. _"Believe me, you definitely did."_

Closing his eyes, Ed tried to forget, but instead it brought it all to the forefront. Kristen had been in his apartment. She had told him that she had been a fool to fall for him when he was clearly in love with Olivia. She said how he never did anything for her, not like he had done for Olivia. It was then when Ed's tongue slipped. He told her that he had taken care of Dougherty for her. He had snapped as she called him a psychopath and warned him that he wasn't going to get his happy ever after with Olivia. It was then when he had reacted. He had grabbed her, but he had only meant to beg with her. He hadn't meant to kill her.

" _So it is all coming back to you now,"_ he said and Ed turned to look him in the eye, hands clenched into fists.

"What did you do?" he demanded to know.

" _Relax, Eddie,"_ he laughed and waved a hand in dismissal. _"I got rid of her body before Olivia came round."_

"Where is it?" Ed demanded to know.

" _Now that would be telling," he said, pointing to Ed. "You like riddles, right? Well, I left one for you somewhere in the apartment…I only hope you find it before Olivia wakes up."_

"Where?" Ed snarled, but he said nothing and instead pretended to lock his lips together and throw away the key.

Moving out of the bathroom, Ed looked around his apartment. Olivia was still sleeping. If Olivia had a chance of finding it then it had be somewhere she would go. He moved around, bending down and looking through her discarded clothes on the floor by the bed. He thought of where else she went, looking back in the bathroom and in the vanity cupboard. There was nothing. Olivia didn't even go anywhere in his apartment, not to find something that was hidden. He slowly tried to piece things together before he saw it. Sticking out from under her pillow, there was a piece of paper. He cursed lowly, wondering how he could grab it without waking her.

He knew that he had to be sneaky. He moved to the bed just as she began to stir. She rolled onto her other side, arm moving to his side of the bed and moving her further away from the envelope. Ed acted quickly, pulling it from the pillow as he climbed into her side of the bed. Dropping it to the ground as he heard her mumble his name, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back flush against his front.

"Why are you not on your side of the bed?" she asked him sleepily as she took hold of his hand.

"I went to the bathroom," he whispered into her ear. "Besides, you've encroached on my side of the bed."

"And now you are on my side of the bed," she mumbled. "I'm still sleepy."

"Then get some more sleep. It is still early," he informed her.

"Hmm, if you insist," she mumbled.

"I'm just going to go and use the bathroom."

"I thought you just went?"

"I did," he said, cursing himself, "but I just need to brush my teeth…you know…morning breath."

"Hmm," was all she hummed and he kissed her neck before slipping from the bed, grabbing the envelope and rushing back to the bathroom.

Locking himself back in, he looked at the riddle.

" _Here we go,"_ he was back and Ed looked at him. _"You know, I knew you would never turn yourself in, not when we have Olivia to play with. I think, deep down, she is just as twisted as we are…maybe we should tell her."_

"No," Ed hissed quickly.

" _What happened to the not telling any lies or keeping secrets?"_

"This is different," Ed said. "She…I have burdened her enough. I can't do it again."

" _You know, I almost wish you could see what happened last night…she has a ruthless streak that one,"_ he chuckled. _"But she also likes me, you know?"_

"I don't want to know what you did to her."

He chuckled. _"Believe me, I think you do. You'll be upset you missed out while I took over."_

"I am not doing this," Ed hissed and looked to the riddle, reading it out loud. "I hid her body while you were catching some zz's. You will need a helping hand so look for initials down at the GCPD." Ed placed the envelope down. "You went to my work?"

" _Well, you did,"_ he responded. " _I just controlled you."_

"How?" Ed demanded. "You are just in my imagination."

" _Now that was cruel,"_ he responded to Ed. _"I am doing this for your own good. I am doing this to help you see sense."_

"No," Ed hissed. "You are doing this to taunt me. I will deal with this. I do not want you near me. I do not want you near Olivia."

" _That isn't what she was saying last night."_

Ed ignored the taunt and moved off, knowing that he had to move. He went back into the bedroom and grabbed hold of his clothes, picking them up and pulling them onto his body. He knelt on the bed once he had finished, giving his hair a quick comb with his fingers. He moved a hand to Olivia's shoulder, seeing her slowly open her eyes and smile at him.

"Why are you dressed?" she asked after a moment.

"I had a message from work," he informed her, voice low and a whisper. "I have to go in."

"On Sunday?" she checked.

"It is urgent," he informed her. "You stay here and I will be back as soon as I can. I'll even pick up waffles from your favourite diner on the way back."

"Well, in that case," Olivia muttered, moving her arms around his neck, "hurry back."

"Always," he muttered, kissing her softly for a few moments before pulling away.

He looked back over his shoulder as Olivia pulled the duvet up to her chin and close her eyes, clearly intent on going back to sleep. Dashing from his apartment, he grabbed his keys and work pass, hoping that he would be able to deal with this incident quickly.

….

Olivia slept for another hour or so before lazily waking up. She moved from the bed, yawning and stretching. She didn't bother putting her clothes on as she went to the bathroom. Climbing into the shower, she let the warm water fall over her. Using Ed's shampoo, she washed her hair before borrowing his shower gel. She stayed in the water for a while before stepping out, wrapping herself into a white towel. Padding back into the main apartment, she found her underwear and pulled it on before finding the white shirt of Ed's that she always wore.

She poured herself a glass of orange juice before heading to the sofa to watch TV. She was about to sit down when she noted something underneath the sofa. She frowned and bent down, reaching underneath to find a pair of glasses. She pulled them out and looked at them. They were a distinct shape and they were definitely not Ed's. Shrugging, she figured they had to be Kristen's. She placed them on the coffee table before sitting on the sofa. Reaching for the remote, she turned the TV on and watched some comedy show, waiting for Ed to come back.

…

Lee walked into the morgue, her heels clicking on her feet. It was Sunday morning and she was at work. Jim had dashed off early and she had groaned when she had heard that she was needed urgently. There was an unidentified body that had come in and her expertise was needed. She had gone in, heading into the morgue to see Ed stood by an open trolley.

"Ed," she said, slightly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Erm…the Jane Doe case," Ed said, making up his excuse. "I couldn't find anything on Friday night, but then I had a call from the lab this morning that more samples had been sent in. They asked me to take a look."

"And it couldn't wait until Monday?" Lee wondered from him.

"Well, I mean, I should have discovered it on Friday," he said, thinking as he went along. "But Olivia came in and well…I was distracted and probably missed something."

"I see," Lee said with a nod. "I guess that green dress did its job."

"Um…yeah," Ed nodded and Lee chuckled, moving further into the room. Ed closed the trolley that held Kristen's body as he did his best to think of a way out of his predicament.

"It is fine, Ed," Lee told him. "Olivia is completely besotted with you. She said it herself. Besides, the start of the relationship is always pretty intense."

"Yes," Ed agreed. "Listen, Lee, I am new to all of this really. I know that I want to make Olivia happy, but I get worried sometimes…that maybe I could do more to make her happy…at the moment we spend most of our time just in the apartment and I've been thinking that it would be nice to get out and spend time together. You got any advice?"

"Sure," Lee shrugged. "You free for a few moments? We can grab a coffee in the break room before you go back."

"Perfect," Ed forced himself to smile and follow her out the door, turning his head over his shoulder to look back at where Kristen's body was hidden.

….

Ed stood in the quiet lab, looking down at Kristen's body. He had managed to sneak away from Lee's gaze, but he had to act quickly. He had to somehow find the best way to dispose of the body. Holding onto the small surgical saw, he felt sick. He felt like he was going to be ill.

" _You either to do this or you get discovered. What will it be?"_

"I didn't mean to do this," Ed responded, looking at himself. "I want to know why you did this."

"When Lee walked in the room," he spoke, "how did it feel?"

Ed said nothing for a moment, looking down at Kristen. "I was scared. She could have found the body."

" _But she didn't,"_ he responded. _"You got away with it."_

"That is not the point," Ed replied, feeling his forehead sweat.

" _That is absolutely the point!"_ he snapped back loudly. " _You can still feel the rush, can't you? You came so close to getting caught and you know what you would have had to do if she discovered the body…what you had done…in the heat of the moment…you're standing on the edge and looking into the void…so tell me: how did it feel?!"_

Ed was silent for a few moments, sweat sill dripping from his forehead. He thought on the question before nodding. "Beautiful."

….

Ed walked back into the apartment later than he had anticipated. Kristen's body was in the trunk of his car, cut into small pieces. He made certain that there was no blood on his clothes before he went back to Olivia. He found her sat on the sofa, wearing only one of his shirts. She turned her head over the back of the sofa to see him, smiling widely.

"You've been ages," she said.

"I know," he replied, holding up the paper bag. "Luckily the diner was still serving waffles."

"Awesome," Olivia said and jumped to her feet.

Moving into the kitchen area, Olivia reached into the cupboard and grabbed two plates. Placing the bag on the worktop, Ed pulled open the boxes and placed the waffles onto the two plates. "Hey," Ed said, grabbing her attention, arm going around her waist to pull her close to him. Bending down he kissed her, feeling her press against him. Pulling back, he smirked as he looked down to her. "I missed you."

"Well," Olivia drawled, "you have basically been gone all morning and most of the afternoon so you have to make it up to me."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" he whispered down to her.

She smirked back up to him. "I'll think of something," she promised with a wink before taking her waffles and moving to the sofa. Ed followed her, sitting down next to her. He felt her lean against his side, her plate balanced on her knees curled beneath her.

"Oh," Olivia said in between a mouthful of waffle, "I found a pair of glasses under the sofa. I guess they must be Kristen's."

Ed tried to remain calm and not panicked. She had found them. She didn't know what had happened. He cut up a piece of waffle and nodded. "Yeah," he said, looking at them on the coffee table. How had he not noticed them? "They are. I will take them to her tomorrow."

Olivia didn't say anything else on the matter as Ed's lips quirked. He had everything now. Once they had finished eating, Ed gathered the plates and went to the sink. Olivia watched the back of him and chewed the inside of her cheek. Moving to her feet, she folded her arms over her chest.

"You know," she said, wondering how to broach the topic, "I was thinking, especially after last night, how weird it is."

"What is that?" he enquired, turning to look to her as he let his legs lean against the worktop and she remained stood in front of him.

"Well, ever since we got together you've been different," she said to him. "I don't mean it in a bad way, Ed, not at all, but you're definitely a lot more confident…like…it's nice. Whenever you were pining over Kristen you just seemed so unsure of yourself, but now you're different."

"You know why that is," Ed said to her, moving slowly towards her, "it's because you accept me, Olivia. You accept me for who I am and she never did."

"But you're still you," Olivia said.

"And you're still you," Ed said, moving to cup her cheek. "My darling, sweet, Olivia."

Moving down to kiss her, he let his lips pull upwards as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He hauled her upwards, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist as he dropped her to sit down on the table. He continued kissing her, his hands now running down her body, grabbing onto her thighs and pulling them apart as he bent down to whisper in her ear. "Lie down," he commanded. Olivia did as he had asked as he peeled his shirt over her head, tossing it to the side. Kissing down her body, he knelt on the floor and reached for the waistband of her underwear as she moaned in anticipation and wrapped a hand into his hair.

….

Olivia had promised that she would go out for a drink with her brother at the end of the week. He had told her that they should spend time together, like they used to. Ever since things had gotten serious with both Lee and Ed, the two of them hadn't spent as much time together. Olivia sat in the bar and waited for Jim. She had already ordered a cocktail for her and a beer for him. She had been at work all day and was intending on going to Ed's after their drinks.

"Liv, sorry I'm late," Jim said as he found his sister sat at the bar. She wrapped her arms around him as he hugged her before sitting down.

"I'm used to it by now," she shrugged. "So how are things going?"

"Keeping busy," he told her. "I'm looking into our new Mayor. I don't think he is as clean cut as he appears."

"He gives me the creeps," Olivia admitted to her brother. "Then again, I get an icky feeling when I see most politicians."

"You and me both," Jim said, loosening his tie ever so slightly and sipping on his beer. "Anyway, let's not talk about work."

"I can drink to that," she said and sipped her cocktail. "So how are things going? I called Lee the other night and she told me that she had given you a key to her apartment. How is that working out?"

"Yeah," Jim nodded once, "it is working out well. It was weird to begin with…the idea of having a key felt quite serious, but she told me that it didn't have to be serious. It was just a key."

"You spend most of your time at hers anyway," Olivia shrugged. "I guess that it seemed logical to have a key."

"I guess," Ed agreed with that. "Besides, I'd rather not risk walking into your apartment, not now you and Nygma are dating."

"We usually spend most our time at his," Olivia shrugged. "I quite like his place more than mine. It is bigger and more open. Plus it is closer to school which makes my commute ten times easier in the morning."

"Glad to hear you're in this relationship for the right reasons," Jim teased and she nudged his arm before taking a sip of her drink. Jim chuckled. "So, things are going well with you and Nygma?"

"Very well," Olivia said.

"Well, I think Kristen must have taken the news hard."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Listen, I had sympathy for her to begin with, but if she really insists on bad mouthing me all of the time to anyone who-"

"-Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jim said, holding a hand up. "She hasn't been bad mouthing you. I mean, was she?"

"She made a comment when I was with Ed," Olivia shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. What do you mean she has taken it hard? How do you know if you haven't seen her?"

"That's the point," Jim informed his sister. "She hasn't been to work all week. No one has seen her."

Olivia frowned. "And has anyone called her?"

"I don't know," Jim said. "Lee just said no had seen her around. I'm sure she is holed up in her apartment…or she is sick and no one has recorded it?"

"Maybe," Olivia said. "She was at Ed's on Saturday night picking some of her stuff up."

"Did Ed say that she seemed ill?"

Olivia shrugged. She didn't want to tell her brother that Ed had barely said anything about Kristen when Olivia had walked in. He had had her bent over the back of his sofa moments after she walked in. "He didn't say."

"Well, I'll look into it on Monday and see if anything is amiss."

"Yeah, I'm sure everything is fine," Olivia shrugged. She didn't want to spend time thinking about Kristen Kringle. Instead, she went back to normal conversation with her brother, pushing Kristen out of her mind.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	24. Chapter 24

Olivia parked her car and headed up to Ed's apartment. She had her small overnight bag with her, knowing that she was running out of clothes and would soon have to do more washing. She stood outside of his apartment and knocked on the door. Ed didn't take long to make his presence known, pulling the door open to see her stood there. She looked up to him, a smile moving onto her face as he also seemed to smirk down to her. He stood back from the door.

"Hey," he greeted her as she walked in, dropping her bag and satchel onto the ground as Ed closed the door and then wrapped his arms around her waist underneath the red coat she wore. She moved to dangle her arms over his shoulders.

"Hey," she responded and he bent down, his lips pressing to hers. He pulled away reluctantly, forehead brushing against hers as she moved a hand to his cheek. "How are you?"

He pecked her lips quickly once more before pulling away, taking her by the hand and dragging her further into his apartment. She followed him as he walked backwards towards the sofa, their arms stretched between them.

"Good," Ed said to her. "Better now that you're here. How were drinks with your brother?"

"Nice," Olivia said as Ed remained stood and she perched on the arm of the sofa, her hands going to hold onto his hips. "Jim is busy at work. He told me that he has agreed to spend more time at Lee's place. She gave him a key, but it doesn't mean they have moved in."

"So he is still technically living at yours?"

Olivia shrugged. "Since Barbara and him broke up he has nowhere else to go," she said. "I mean, I don't mind him living with me, but it seems that neither of us spend that much time in my apartment."

"We can always go to your tomorrow evening," Ed suggested and Olivia nodded once.

"Sounds good," she said. "Anyway, what are we doing this evening?"

"I hope you don't mind but I ordered pizza," Ed said to her. "I didn't know if you were going to eat while you were with Jim."

"I had one cocktail and then drank diet coke," Olivia said to him. "But we didn't eat."

"Good job I ordered an extra large then," Ed said and Olivia's grip on him increased as he bent down, threatening to make her topple over the arm and onto the cushions of the sofa.

"And that is why I love you," Olivia said as his lips hovered over hers.

"Because I know that the way to your heart is through food?" Ed asked from her.

"Exactly that," she said and kissed him.

She let her legs wrap around his waist until he was flush against her, slightly awkwardly bending down as he moved his hands to her thighs, pushing her dress upwards. Olivia threatened to give in as his fingers worked over her bare skin, but she pulled back. Moving a hand to pat his chest once, she pulled her lips back from his.

"If you ordered pizza then I'd rather not get into something we can't finish," she said to him. He chuckled but nodded. Reluctantly, he pulled away and stood up straight as Olivia slipped down to sit on the sofa, kicking her shoes off in the process before curling her legs underneath her body.

"Can I get you a drink?" Ed asked her.

"I'd love a tea if you have one," she said.

"Anything for you," Ed said and went to start putting the kettle onto the stove. Filling it with water, he listened as Olivia spoke from the sofa.

"Did you managed to give Kristen her glasses back, by the way?" Olivia enquired from him. "You never said and I never asked."

"Yes," Ed said, the lie rolling easily off of his tongue as he placed the kettle down and began to heat the stove. "I gave them to her when I saw her on Tuesday."

Olivia frowned. Tuesday. Jim said that she had been off from work all week. Had she come in and then gone home? Maybe she had just popped in for a few hours? Olivia bit down on her tongue, but curiosity got the better of her.

"How did she seem?" Olivia wondered while Ed placed the teabags into the mug.

He turned back to her, arms folding over his chest. He leant back against the worktop and shrugged. Crossing one leg over the other, he watched as Olivia draped an arm over the back of the sofa, her chin resting in her hand as she continued to watch him.

"Fine," Ed said and Olivia did her best not to doubt him. "She was still annoyed, but she was mostly fine. I got the feeling she wanted to act…well…nonchalant."

Olivia scoffed. "Don't we all in front of our exes?" she asked from him.

"Whatever she feels, it doesn't matter, she is gone now," Ed said, knowing the hidden meaning.

"I guess," Olivia agreed. "I don't know. I never really liked her for how she treated you, but I did feel guilty about being the one who caused you guys to split up."

"Hey," Ed said, moving back to the sofa, perching on the edge of it and resting his hand on her knee. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. We all have relationships that don't work out, but we got here, Olivia. We made it in the end and that is the main thing."

"It is," Olivia smiled.

It was then when there was a buzz on the intercom. Ed jumped up. "Can you keep an eye on the kettle? I assume that is the pizza."

"I assume so," Olivia agreed with him, nodding her head and also moving to stand. She watched the back of his head as he made certain that he had his wallet with him to pay for the pizza. Chewing down on her bottom lip, she wondered what was going on.

…

Olivia finished work early on the Monday evening. She had intended to go back to Ed's apartment that evening, but she had been asked to work late. Apparently there was a parent who wanted to talk to her after school and could only make it after five. She had text Ed to tell him that she was going to be late and he had told her that he would hold off making dinner.

She was about to give up after this parent was half an hour late. Standing up, she began to pack her satchel. Shrugging into her red coat, she draped her bag over the door before she heard a knock on the door. She looked down onto her books, calling out: "Come in."

The door opened and Olivia peered to the side, her eyes widening at the woman stood there. She was dressed in a figure fitting green dress, black heels on her feet and a long grey coat on her body. Her blonde hair was neatly coiffed and she had a tantalising glint in her eye.

"Long time no see, Liv," she said.

"Barbara," Olivia whispered her name as the woman closed the door and walked into the classroom, moving around the desks, her hand trailing over them. Olivia backed away from her, moving in the opposite direction that she stalked. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got an invite for you," Barbara said. "I want to invite you to mine and Jim's wedding."

Olivia's eyes widened. "What?" Olivia asked from her. "Barbara, I have no idea what has happened to you, but honestly you need help."

"You know, everyone says that," Barbara said with a sigh. "But I feel just fine. I know exactly what I am doing."

Olivia began moving towards the door, needing to get out. She reached for the door handle, but it didn't budge. The door was locked. Olivia turned around to see Barbara holding the key in her fingers. She tossed it over her shoulder. "Now we can either do this the easy way or the hard way," she said.

Olivia began banging on the door, shouting for someone to come. She hoped the janitor was still around, or maybe the cleaners. She needed anyone to get her away from Barbara. Looking on as the young teacher begged for help, Barbara shrugged. "Have it your way," she said and stepped forwards, pulling the syringe from her pocket and coming up behind Olivia. Forcing the needle into her neck, she pressed down as Olivia winced in pain and slowly felt herself slip down the door to the ground.

…..

"Liv," Jim kept trying to call to his sister as he came around and saw her tied to a chair next to his in the grand church. She was groggy, groaning lowly with her head bowed. Slowly, she managed to peel her eyes open, wincing as she blinked. "Liv, hey, Liv, it's me."

She followed his voice, her eyes going to her brother as she tried to move. She failed in her motion and looked down, seeing that she was tied down to the chair. Panic began to rise inside of her then as she tried to tug on the ropes that bound her.

"Jim, what the hell is going on?" she asked from her brother, noting the priest tied to another chair in front of them. "Barbara…"

"I know," Jim said to her. "Don't worry, I'm thinking of a plan to get us out of here."

"What is that psychotic bitch doing?" Olivia demanded.

It was then when the noise of the wedding march began to play in the church. The two siblings looked to each other before they dared to turn their heads over their shoulders. Both of them looked horrified as Barbara moved down the aisle, dressed in a wedding dress complete with veil and a small gun in her fingertips. She glided down the aisle and came to stand in front of Jim.

"I know," she said, arms stretched, "I cannot believe that it still fits."

"Jesus Christ," Olivia mumbled.

"I'll let you into a little secret, Liv," Barbara said, looking to Olivia. "I was so excited when we found this place and we agreed to get married. I was going to ask you to be my bridesmaid before everything happened."

"How long do you think you have before the GCPD come here?" Jim asked, wanting to take Barbara's attention away from Olivia.

It worked and Barbara began circling Jim's chair. Bending down, she looked him in the eye after a moment of pacing. "That is so typical of you. I'm talking about us, but all you care about is work."

"Barbara, there is no us," Jim said to her. "What are you doing?"

"Well, this," she said, motioning to herself, "is my wedding dress. And this, is Father Callahan. I assume you remember him. Of course, your sister is here…I mean, she is your only family and she is a witness. We need a witness if we are going to get married, that is all the law."

"Barbara," Jim whispered her name.

"Oh Jim, you knew that this would be a trap when I walked into the precinct and told you I would help you this morning," she said and moved towards him, holding onto the arms of the chair and bending down until her face was close to his. She grabbed hold of his chin, holding onto it lightly. "I know that it is me who you want…this life…Lee…she bores you…"

"I love Lee," Jim said, looking Barbara straight in the eye.

"But you lie to her…you lie to her that this isn't you…the man who wants danger."

"I don't lie to Lee," Jim said.

"Don't you?" Barbara asked and stood up straight. "Then let's ask her."

Nodding down the aisle, both Jim and Olivia turned around to follow Barbara's direction. Olivia's eyes widened in horror as she began fighting against her restraints again. Jim looked horrified as Lee was wheeled down the aisle, her mouth gagged and her wrists also bound behind her.

"Lee!" Olivia shouted her name.

"You see, you never cared for me like you do her," Barbara said, pointing to Olivia as the woman who had wheeled Lee down the aisle left. "But me and Lee have some things to talk about…like your brother. You never did speak ill of him."

"I defended you!" Olivia sniped at Barbara and Jim wished his sister wouldn't goad Barbara. "I never got on with you that well, Barbara, but I helped you…I was kind to you."

"And do you know that Jim said about you?" Barbara asked.

"Barbara, stop it," Jim demanded from her.

She moved closer to Olivia and bent down, kneeling on the floor and looking her in the eye. "He thought that you were weak…when he found out that your boyfriend had hit you, he wanted you to come and live with us because he thought that you were too fragile to be on your own. He thought that you needed him and he is right, isn't he? You are weak on your own. You always rely on him. You see, I used to be like that, but I wised up."

"Barbara!" Jim shouted at her and she held her hands up in defence before standing up.

"Just being honest, Jim," she said to him and then looked to Lee. "So what do you think, Lee? How is your relationship with Jim going? Is Olivia getting in the way? You know, I wondered if the two of them were too close at one stage…"

"I love Jim. My relationship with Jim is none of your concern. I know him."

"How could you know him when he doesn't know who he is?" Barbara wondered from her. "He can never be honest with himself, despite anyone else."

"And what about you?" Jim demanded and she looked to him one more time. "This entire day was a lie. You never intended to give up Galavan."

"Who?" Barbara asked. "Oh, so you want honesty. Mayor James is alive and well. There you go, Jim, honesty."

Barbara began pacing one more time. "You know, Jim is just an act," Barbara said. "He enjoys dabbling in darkness, but the Jim you know is just an act."

"We all put on an act," Lee said, chin held high as she refused to acknowledge Barbara's taunts.

"Did he tell you how he got reinstated at the GCPD?" Barbara wondered.

"He killed a man for Penguin," Lee said and Olivia's eyes widened as Jim looked over to his sister and Barbara picked up on the look. He had killed someone? He hadn't told her that. He had kept that secret.

"Ooh," Barbara drawled, "so he told his girlfriend, but not his sister."

"You had enough on your plate," Jim said and Olivia almost wanted to snap at him for keeping that from her, but then she remembered her own secret. How could she be mad at him. "Olivia, I didn't want to tell you."

"Yeah," Olivia whispered.

"We have no secrets between us," Lee said, wanting to do the same as Jim and stop Barbara from looking at Olivia. Moving back to Lee, Barbara took hold of her chin.

"You love him, huh?" Barbara checked. "You love a murdering insomniac?"

"He has done things he is not proud of, but that is not Jim," Lee said confidently.

It was then when Barbara reached behind her back, pulling out a knife she had hid in her dress. Moving the knife to Lee's throat, Jim threw a look to his sister, urging for her to keep quiet as Barbara taunted Lee. Jim was trying to break free from his restraints as Olivia saw him pulling on them against the metal of the chair. He suddenly broke free, reaching for the gun Barbara had placed down on Lee's chair. He held it in the air, pointing it at Barbara as she stepped back.

"There he is," she said, "my little monster."

"Don't make me kill you, Barbara," Jim warned her.

"Do it," Barbara taunted him. "Do it."

She stepped closer to him as sirens began wailing in the distance. Barbara took off then, running away as other figures began moving through the church, shooting at Jim. Olivia bent over, ducking down as Jim fired back, killing the men who took aim at them. Police stormed the church and Olivia sighed in relief as Jim began to untie Lee.

"Jim!" Lee snapped, noting Barbara running along the balcony of the church.

"On it," Jim said and took off after Barbara.

Looking to Olivia, Lee grew concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Olivia nodded her head. "What the hell just happened?"

"I think…Barbara…she needs help."

"Can say that again," Lee agreed.

The two women remained seated until two officers came and untied them. Olivia stood up, slightly shaky on her feet as another office ran in and asked Lee for medical help. Barbara had fallen from the window. Lee walked out as Olivia remained in the church, looking around before Jim came for her.

"Liv," he said to her and she moved towards him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her. "I am so sorry."

"It isn't your fault your ex is deranged," she promised her brother.

"Not just about that," Jim said.

"I know," Olivia said. "And we will talk about that, but not tonight."

"Okay," Jim said, bending down and kissing her on the forehead. "Come on, I'll get an officer to drive you home…back to Ed's…wherever you want to go."

Olivia nodded, noting that Barbara had had the decency to bring her satchel with her when she had knocked her out. Olivia picked her bag up and slung it over her shoulder as Jim wrapped his arm around Olivia's shoulders and led her outside.

Lee had finished looking over Barbara and the blonde woman was being wheeled into an ambulance. Olivia urged her brother to go and speak to Lee as she hung back. She saw the two of them have a tense discussion before Lee walked over to Olivia.

"Hey," Lee said, "I'm coming with you. We'll drop you off and then me."

"Sure," Olivia said as an officer introduced himself and said that he would drive them home. Lee and Olivia spoke briefly, making certain they were each okay, but clearly neither one of them was in the mood for discussion.

"I meant to ask," Olivia said as they pulled up to Ed's apartment. "Jim said that Kristen hasn't been at work all week."

"She hasn't been," Lee nodded. "I mean, I haven't seen her and she hasn't clocked in. Why?"

"Just…after tonight…I kind of wanted to apologise," Olivia lied to her. "Life's too short to hold grudges and I want to make things right."

"Fair enough," Lee said as the car stopped.

Olivia embraced Lee and said her goodnights before climbing from the car and moving towards Ed's apartment. Lee told the officer to wait, needing to make sure that Olivia got in the building safely. Ringing up to Ed's flat, Olivia waited for a few moments before he answered.

"Olivia, what are you doing here?" he asked her.

She frowned, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "What do you mean? I was supposed to come over tonight."

"Well, yes, but I text you to say that I was ill and it would be best to stay away," his voice crackled down.

Olivia sighed. "Ed, I haven't had a chance to check my cell," she said. "Things have been crazy tonight, okay? Can I just come up? I'll explain everything, but I kind of need you right now…I just need you."

There was a moment of silence and Olivia wondered what was going on. "Liv," his voice sighed her name, "honestly…it's just…I am really sick."

Olivia felt her cheeks begin to warm up then. "Ed, I don't give a fuck," she said, unable to hold her tongue. "I'll keep my distance…look after you…anything you want, but I don't want to be alone. I've just been tied to a chair by Jim's crazy ex-girlfriend who was going to kill Lee and maybe me, I don't know, and now all I want is to come and see you and you won't even let me up. Are you serious?"

"I'll come down and get you a cab-"

"-What are you hiding?" Olivia interrupted him, knowing that if anyone passed by they would think her slightly deranged for having an argument with Ed through his intercom. "And do not say you are sick because I know you are lying."

"Liv, I will come and get you a cab and then we can talk-"

"-I don't want to talk," Olivia interrupted again. "I want the truth, Ed, because we both know you haven't exactly been honest."

"What do you mean?"

"You never even saw Kristen this week. She hasn't clocked in at work so I know you are lying to me about that and now you won't even let me into your apartment. Are you still seeing her, is that it?"

Olivia finally blurted out what she had been thinking.

"No! Olivia, no, that is not it," Ed said. "I promise you. I love you."

"Yeah, you love me so much you are essentially telling me to get lost as I stand on your doorstep and beg you to let me in after I've just been kidnapped. What a great boyfriend you are."

"Olivia, I am coming down, okay."

"Don't bother," Olivia snapped and turned on her heel.

She walked down the steps of the apartment building and looked to the street, almost relieved to see that Lee was still there in the police car. Olivia moved to it and opened the door, sliding back in as she looked to Lee, cheeks red and tears in her eyes. "Can I stay at yours?"

"Liv, what happened?" Lee asked from her, reaching out and holding her arm.

"He…I think he is still seeing Kristen," Olivia admitted. "He said he was sick and that I couldn't come up…and I told him what had just happened and he didn't even seem to care."

"Okay," Lee said as Olivia finally began to cry. "Okay, let's go back to mine."

Olivia nodded as she heard his voice then.

"Olivia!" he shouted her name loudly.

Lee looked to him as Olivia remained passive in the car. Placing her hand on the front seat, Lee spoke to the officer. "Can you drive, please?"

Nodding, he began to set off just as Ed almost reached the car. "Olivia, wait! Please!"

Olivia ignored him completely, looking straight ahead as Lee caught his eye and glowered, turning away a moment later. They left Ed in the street, hands behind his head as he watched the car drive off. He groaned to himself and threw his head back, looking to the sky. Why could she not have checked her phone before she came? Why did it have to be tonight when Barbara had decided to make a move? Why did it have to be tonight when Ed had found Penguin and brought him back to his apartment? There was no way that Ed could have let her in, not without her seeing Penguin and then she would have lost it. She would have asked him what he was doing and how he had found him. Ed couldn't tell her it had been while he was burying Kristen's body, but he couldn't let her think that he was still seeing Kristen.

Ed trudged back to his apartment, realising that he now had a problem on his hands.

…..

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	25. Chapter 25

Tossing his keys onto the sideboard, Jim yawned into his fist before his brow furrowed. Lee was sat in an armchair, a book open in her lap. She looked up and over to Jim, her lips pulling up into a small smile. Lee was slightly concerned about Jim and his relationship with Barbara. She was concerned about whether or not Barbara was right. Jim did have a dark side. He had a dark side that he was struggling to ignore. But she pushed those concerns to the side for the time being.

Jim looked over to the sofa to see his sister there. She was sleeping, resting on her side with a blanket pulled up to her chin. Lee motioned for Jim to follow her into their bedroom. He padded quietly past his sister and into the bedroom. He closed the door and looked to his girlfriend.

"What is going on?" he asked from her.

"I don't honestly know," Lee shrugged. "She was supposed to go to Ed's, but she stood outside his apartment and called up. He wouldn't let her in. He claimed that he was sick, but Olivia…well…she thinks he might be seeing Kristen. She says that Ed saw Kristen on Tuesday, but she hasn't been at work all week. She thinks he is still spending time with her."

Jim looked concerned then, shaking his head. "No," Jim said.

Lee tilted her head to the side. "Why else would he not let her in or even want to see her after she had just been kidnapped?" she asked from Jim. "This is the same Ed who lost his mind after she was kidnapped by the Ogre."

"But seeing Kristen?" Jim asked from Lee. "He wouldn't do that, would he? He couldn't do that to Liv. He loves her."

"I know," Lee agreed with that analysis, "but there was something off. No matter how sick he was…that wasn't like Ed."

"I'll talk to him," Jim said.

"Is that the best thing to do?" she asked from Jim. "Your sister is old enough to make her own mind up and be able to discuss things sensibly with Ed. She doesn't need you meddling in her relationship."

"If he is messing my sister around then I will get involved," Jim said seriously.

"Let's just get to the bottom of this first, okay?" Lee said. "Olivia can stay here for the evening and as long as she needs to. I don't think she should be going into work tomorrow."

"Okay," Jim agreed with a nod. "I'll move her to the guest room then."

Moving into the living room again, Jim knelt down by his sister's side. He placed a hand onto her shoulder. Shaking her gently, she woke up groggily. Blinking a few times, she remained on the sofa and finally her eyes settled on Jim. Moving his hand to her cheek, Jim brushed some of her hair from her face. He forced himself to smile as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"You okay, squirt?" he asked her and her lips quirked at his old pet name for her.

"No," she admitted to him, "but I will be."

"Glad to hear it," Jim said and moved to stand up straight. "Come on, you can have the guest room, Liv. We can talk in the morning after you have gotten a good night's sleep."

"Okay," Olivia agreed.

She stood up slowly and Jim wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She kept the blanket around her body, holding tightly onto it. Passing Lee in the corridor, the doctor briefly hugged Olivia before Jim pecked her cheek and left her to go into the guest bedroom. She entered the room and closed the door, collapsing on the bed and letting herself cry once more.

…

Lee cooked breakfast for Olivia, making pancakes before she left for work. Olivia moved into the kitchen, wearing a pair of borrowed pyjamas. She had her hair messily tucked behind her ears and her cheeks were puffy red. She went to sit at the dining table, pulling one leg up onto the chair and resting her chin on her kneecap.

"Has Jim left already?" she wondered from Lee.

"He arrested Galavan last night," Lee informed her. "He had to go in early to search his place."

"Was he okay?" Olivia asked. "Are you okay? After everything that happened last night…"

"I'm fine," Lee said to her, flipping a pancake as Olivia took a sip of her orange juice. "I know that we all have things to talk about, but I'm worried that now isn't the right time."

"Like how my brother murdered someone for Penguin?" Olivia checked with Lee. "And both of you failed to tell me? Or about how my brother thinks I am weak…pathetic…and maybe he has a point on that one."

"Hey, you are not pathetic," Lee said, placing a pancake on a plate and then moving over to the dining table. She set a plate down in front of Olivia and then her own in front of her set place. "Jim is your big brother and he wants you to be safe…he is over-protective. Your brother is complicated, Liv."

"Like being a murderer?"

"He had no choice," Lee said to Olivia. "Jim has a darkness to him. I am not denying that, but he is a good man. He wants to do the right thing, but being in this city…it has corrupted him…it has changed him slowly."

"It scares me what might happen to him," Olivia admitted in a soft whisper. "He is getting deep with everyone…not just Penguin…but there is Galavan. Does he really want to go up against him? And then there is Barbara."

"I know," Lee said, "we are going to talk tonight when he comes home."

Olivia nodded and picked at the pancake after pouring maple syrup on top of it. "You talk to him," Olivia said, "but tell him that I want to know everything when I see him."

"I will," Lee said, cutting into her own pancake. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Lee decided to breach the topic. "What about Ed, Liv?"

Olivia shrugged, looking down at her plate. "What about him?" she asked, sipping onto her orange juice. She took another mouthful of her pancake.

"Well, do you not want to know what has been going on? I just…I feel that it seems unlikely that he is seeing Kristen. I think there must be something else."

"What else can there be?" Olivia wondered from her. "It makes sense. He's…I thought that he wanted only me. I guessed I was wrong."

"You need to speak to him," Lee urged her. "Just give him a chance to tell the truth. At least then you will know for certain."

"I already know," Olivia sniffed and spoke confidently, looking to Lee. "He's lied to me and I am not going to stand for it."

…

Finding Olivia proved to be difficult. Ed had gone to the school where she worked after class had finished. He had found her classroom, but had been informed that she had been ill. The teacher said that it had been on the news that she had been kidnapped and held hostage by Barbara. Ed had gone back to his car and gripped his wheel tightly. She had been kidnapped. Olivia had been kidnapped and he had turned her away. He should have gone back to her apartment. He should have said that his apartment had problems…the heating was broken…anything…but he should have been with her. But he couldn't leave Penguin.

She wasn't in her apartment either. Ed had knocked for ages, but there had been no sign of movement. He had called her, but she was not picking up. She had to realise that Ed was the one she needed. She was his weakness. A man with nothing that he loves is a man who cannot be bargained with…he is a man who answers to no one but himself. But Ed could not be that man. He knew that. He cared about Olivia too much and so he had to keep her by his side. He had to keep her out of trouble and make sure that no one could ever use her against him.

Going to Lee's apartment, Ed felt a sense of apprehensiveness, wondering if the doctor would let him in. Would Olivia even be there? But before Ed could park his car, his cell began to ring. Reaching for it, he saw the caller ID and stopped the car. Pulling over, he turned the engine off and placed the cell to his ear.

"Liv," he spoke her name. "Where are you? I need to see you."

"I'm at Lee's," she said to him.

"I'm just parked round the corner," Ed said. "I have been looking everywhere for you."

"Meet me outside her building and I'll come down in five," was all that Olivia said to him.

Hanging the phone up, Ed listened as the call ended. He placed his cell in his jacket pocket before wondering how he would get out of this mess. Did he tell Olivia the truth? Did he tell her exactly what had happened and pray that she didn't tell anyone else? He had burdened her with one of his murders, but now he had committed more than one. He had killed Kristen. He had killed the man in the woods who had caught him burying her body. And then he had brought that man to Penguin, urging for him to kill Galavan's lackey. Olivia would not be able to cope with all of that.

Driving around the corner, Ed parked the car and waited for Olivia. He saw her come down the steps of the apartment block. Her red coat was open to reveal a casual red dress that hung down to her knees. She had on a pair of sneakers and was toying with the locket around her neck. She came over to his car and pulled the passenger door open. She sat down in the seat and closed the door behind her.

She looked straight ahead while Ed watched her. He kept his hands on the steering wheel. "Liv-"

"-Don't," she interrupted him. "I don't want to hear you say anything that you don't have to say. I want the truth and that is it."

"The truth is that I am not seeing Kristen Kringle," Ed said to her and she buried her head into her hands. "I'm not, Liv," Ed said as he sensed her despair. "It is complicated, okay? But I am not seeing Kristen."

Olivia flapped her arms by her side. "Then what is it?" she demanded from him, voice shrill. "What is it that is going on?"

"I…I need you to know that I would not cheat on you, Olivia," Ed said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. She flinched slightly, but didn't pull back from him. Instead she remained still after settling and Ed continued to look at her. "You are mine, Olivia. You are my only weakness, but nothing will tear us apart. I will not let it."

"What the hell are you on about?" she asked, tiring of his cryptic words.

"I am talking about the truth," Ed said. "The truth is that I had a body to dispose of."

"Dougherty?" she asked him.

"Yes," he lied, knowing that he had to lie to get away with this. He was becoming quite the expert at that. "I went into the woods to check on where he was the other night when I bumped into Penguin. I found him in the woods and I brought him back to my apartment. He was badly injured."

Olivia snatched her hand from his then. She sat back by the door, almost horrified at what she was hearing. Shaking her head, she folded her arms across her chest.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

Ed couldn't tell her why. He couldn't tell her that Penguin understood how he felt. He understood how it felt to kill someone and not to feel guilt. Ed felt anything but guilt when he took the lives he did. He felt a thrill inside of him. He adored it. But Olivia was too innocent to understand that side of him. He had to protect her from it.

"I couldn't leave him," Ed said. "But I knew that I could not have you in my apartment while he was there after what he has gotten your brother to do."

"So you sent me away," Olivia concluded. "You chose to look after some murdering criminal psychopath instead of me. I am your girlfriend, Ed. I needed you…and you…Jesus…you made me feel like utter shit that night. You made me feel like I was worthless."

"Olivia, I didn't mean to."

"Well, you did," Olivia said and shrugged. "I just can't get my head around this, Ed. You turned me away and took in some murdering psychopath who has made my brother's life hell. What were you thinking? Drive him to a hospital…fine…but bringing him to your apartment? What possessed you?"

"I did what I had to do, Olivia," Ed said to her.

"No, you did not," Olivia responded. "I am not doing this, Ed. You…you can apologise all you want, but the fact is that you weren't there when I needed you and you lied to me. You made up some lame ass excuse about being ill and that is the worst part."

"I didn't want you to see him."

"But you would have told me the truth and we promised to tell each other the truth when we started this relationship," Olivia said. "That is the part that hurts the most."

He was about to tell her everything then. She should know. She should know who he was. But looking at her, he saw nothing but innocence in her eyes. She was too innocent to know and he needed to protect that. He liked her naivety. He enjoyed that part of her.

"Can we forget this ever happened?" Ed asked of her. "I can take you back home and I can cook us something. We can spend the night together and you can tell me about what happened."

Olivia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What?" she asked him. "You want to hear it now? You weren't that interested when I came to you and needed you so don't bother faking it now."

"No," Ed said as she climbed from the car.

He moved just as quick, launching himself from the vehicle. Slamming his door shut behind him, he rushed around to her, grabbing hold of her forearm before she could move into the apartment. He whirled her around to face him, his grip tight as Olivia wriggled around in his arms.

"How many times do I have to apologise?" he demanded from her, voice harsh and low. "Olivia, the sooner you get over this then the better it will be for us. We can go back to normal. I can give you what you want."

"Give me what I want?" she asked him. "What are you going on about?"

"Safety…love…feeling of being needed…it is what you need, Olivia, and I can give it to you. I am the only one who can give it to you and you need me just as much as I need you," Ed said, voice almost demanding as Olivia shook her head.

It was then when a car pulled up and Olivia looked over to see Jim climbing from his vehicle. Locking his car, Jim looked to his sister and Ed. His gaze moved between her and Ed, his eyes lingering on Ed's hands that were gripping onto Olivia.

"You alright, Liv?" he asked his sister.

"Fine," she said. "Ed was just leaving."

"Huh," Jim said and Ed ground his teeth together. He continued to glare down to Olivia. He was trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. He needed Olivia to come with him. He wanted her with him. "You coming in, Liv?"

"Yeah," Olivia said.

"Olivia," Ed spoke her name. "Just come with me."

"Not tonight," Olivia said.

"Might be best if you just go home, Ed," Jim said and Ed looked to the detective. Why was Jim even here? Why was he meddling in what was going on? But Jim's gaze on Ed was intense. It was clear that Jim was annoyed with Ed. No doubt Olivia had told him about her suspicions.

"Perhaps," Ed said, giving in for the time being and letting Olivia go. "I'll call you tomorrow, Olivia."

"Fine," Olivia said, voice haughty as she turned around and began to walk into the apartment. Jim was about to follow her, but he looked back to Ed. His voice was low and his statement was short and not open for debate.

"You might be a friend, Ed, but I won't let you hurt her," Jim spoke.

He caught up with Olivia as she held the door to the apartment block open. He placed a hand onto the small of her back as he guided her inside and left Ed on the sidewalk. Hands moving to his hips, Ed wondered exactly what he had to do to get Olivia back to him.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	26. Chapter 26

Lee looked onto Ed as she entered his office. He was sat at his desk, head bowed. He was writing on some pieces of paper and his gaze was one of concentration. Looking to him, Lee kept her lips pursed. She coughed into her palm to grab his attention. He startled and peered over to her as she waved the folders she had in her hands.

"Reports are in," she commented.

"Thank you," Ed said and he turned to look to her, taking the papers from her hand as he stood up. He placed the folders down onto his desk. "Was there anything else that I could held you with?"

"No," Lee answered, shrugging her shoulders and turning to leave. But she stopped herself. She turned to look back to him, hands going to her hips. "I know that we are at work, but what is going on between you and Olivia? She hasn't been herself and neither have you. You've been snappy."

"We are going through a rough patch," was all that Ed offered Lee, knowing that he had to do something. He couldn't keep this up because he knew that Olivia knew too much. She knew far too much. "We'll work through it."

"She told us her suspicions," Lee said. "About you and…well…Kristen."

"She was wrong," Ed said firmly.

"Then what is it?" Lee wondered, arms stretched out. "Because there has to be a good reason why you didn't let her into your apartment that night."

"That's the issue," Ed said to Lee. "There was no good reason. I was sick and I didn't want her there, but I couldn't articulate that until it was too late. I had no idea what had happened and she only told me after I said I was sick…it is ridiculous and it escalated too quickly…it was stupid and now she is still not talking to me even though I have apologised so many times."

Lee sighed, seeming appeased with his blubbering. Ed almost rolled his eyes at how easy it was to reel her in. She moved to rest a hand on his shoulder. "She was really upset, Ed," she reminded him. "I don't think she cared about getting sick after what had happened."

"But I cared," Ed said to her. "I was really worried. I should have done better."

"Yeah, you should have," Lee said. "But we all make mistakes. Listen, just go and see her. She is working late tonight…go and surprise her and just tell her that you know you messed up. She might be angry, but she does miss you, Ed."

"I miss her too," Ed said, voice honest. "I'll go to her…thanks, Lee."

Lee squeezed his shoulder and walked away as his face fell. He would go to her and persuade her that they could recover from this.

…

It was the following night when Ed went to see Olivia. The previous night had proven to be eventful. Olivia was seated at her desk. It was gone six and everyone had gone home, even the janitor had told her that he was leaving. Her reminded her to take the side exit and make sure the door was firmly shut behind her. She had been marking books, not entirely wanting to go home just yet. She didn't want to be by herself. She had no idea that her brother had been kidnapped by Galavan following being let loose from his trial. She had no idea that he was now working with Penguin.

She was about to finish up working when she heard her door open. She frowned as she saw Ed walking in. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. Oswald had called him and told him that Jim Gordon had been in touch with him, the two of them teaming up to take down Galavan together. It was perfect. Ed would claim that was why he had kept Penguin hidden.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia demanded from Ed, turning to look back down to her work.

"I came to apologise," Ed said, feeling exhausted from apologising numerous times, "again."

"You know when you say again it doesn't feel entirely sincere," Olivia commented.

Ed moved over to her desk, placing the wine and flowers down onto the front desk in the classroom. He perched down on it and looked around her classroom, ignoring her previous comment. She had walls decorated with posters and children's work hung up. She had a large bookshelf holding numerous textbooks and pens. It reminded him of his time at school.

"I don't want to argue about this," Ed urged from her, voice low and deep. "Olivia, the last thing I want is to argue about this, but your brother needs Penguin. I couldn't tell you this last night because it was a secret…but he needs him."

Things had worked out perfectly since Oswald had told him that. Olivia looked up from her work then, eyes wide and her face turning pale. She wondered what was going on as she pushed herself to her feet. "What?" she demanded from him, voice faltering. "Why does Jim need Penguin?"

"I wanted to tell you," Ed said to her, "but I couldn't. Your brother and Penguin intend to take Galavan down, Olivia. Galavan kidnapped your brother, but Penguin saved him. Penguin wants revenge on Galavan for killing his mother…the Mayor…he's deranged. He is claiming that he has to bring down Bruce Wayne and that his family were wrong by the Waynes in the past. He intends to change that…bring Gotham to its knees."

"What?" Olivia demanded. "Do you know how crazy this all sounds?"

"Pretty crazy," Ed confirmed to her, "but your brother is safe in my apartment with Penguin. The two of them are discussing the best way to bring Galavan down."

"Again what?" Olivia snapped at Ed. "Why did Jim not tell me this? You were looking after Penguin the other night when I was with Jim."

"And I admit that I only took Penguin because I felt sorry for him," Ed said to her. "He told me about Galavan and he said how him and Jim could work together. I didn't want to tell you that because I know what you are like. Besides, I never thought that Jim would be in this position."

"Jesus," Olivia complained, hand moving to her forehead. "So you took him in because you felt sorry for him?"

"Yes!" Ed exclaimed. "How many times do I need to tell you that?"

"Don't snap at me," Olivia responded, her own tone a snapping one as she moved around her desk and stood in front of him. "Why did you not tell me his plan the other night?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you," Ed said. "I know what you are like when it comes to Jim, Liv. You worry about him all of the time and I didn't exactly get chance to talk to you as much as I wanted to…and then last night…your brother needed rescuing and now your brother has a warrant out for him. He assaulted the Mayor and is on the run with Penguin."

"I need to see him," Olivia said and Ed shook his head as he went to stand in front of her, holding onto her upper arms. She peered up to him and he saw her look of worry. He almost wanted to smirk. This was turning out better than he had thought. "Ed, I need to see him."

"He wants you to stay away," Ed told her honestly. Jim had said that to Ed. "Just call him. Here," Ed said, pulling his own cell out of his pocket and beginning to dial Jim's number. He handed Olivia the phone and she pressed it to her ear as he kept a hand on her arm and she didn't shrug him off.

"Ed?" Jim's voice asked as he picked up.

"It's me," was all Olivia said to him. "Is it true? You're working with Penguin?"

"There is no other way," Jim said to her. "There is a warrant out for my arrest, but I have to stop him."

"But with Penguin?" Olivia demanded from him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed, Jim?"

"No, I have to do this," Jim said to her. "I can't let Galavan win this way or hurt Bruce. I can't let that happen."

"But why does it have to be you?" she demanded to know from her brother, voice haughty and Ed stepped closer to her, inhaling her familiar strawberry shampoo scent. "Why does it have to be you who is doing this?"

"Because there is no one else," Jim said back to her. "Listen, Liv, Ed explained everything to me about why he was acting weird that night. It is nothing to do with Kristen Kringle. He was hiding Penguin…helping him because Galavan killed his mother."

"I know," Olivia admitted, not telling her brother that she knew that Ed harboured Penguin before her brother.

"I've asked him to take you away for a couple of days until this is over. I don't want Galavan coming after you," Jim said to his sister. "I'm sorry that I am having to do this to you again…making you flee…but it is just until this is over. I'm having Lee sent away too somewhere safe."

"No," Olivia said firmly. "I am not going anywhere. I am not running away because of this."

"Liv, please," Jim sounded exasperated. "It is the weekend. Just do this for me."

"This is ridiculous," Olivia complained to her brother. "Why do you have to do this?"

"Liv," Jim sighed her name, "I've got to go, just stay with Ed."

Jim hung up before Olivia could continue arguing with him. She handed Ed his phone back and shook her head. Ed gulped, looking down to her and seeing the worry in her face. Lifting her gaze up to his, he curled his finger underneath her chin and forced her to look to him. "I am sorry," Ed said and he knew that her mind was not on his secret now. They were over that. She managed a slim smile and nodded.

"Okay," she said to him with a nod of her head. "You…things just got out of hand, but I wish that you told me the truth sooner. You promised always to tell me the truth."

"I'm sorry," Ed said again. "I didn't mean to upset you or hurt you."

"Okay," Olivia said, nodding her head. "So what do we do now, Ed?"

"I am taking you away from here for a few days until this is over," Ed said to her. "Your brother has all the help he needs and you are my only priority."

Olivia forced herself to smile at hearing that. He backed up, picking up the flowers and wine as Olivia's shoulders slumped and Ed saw her relax in his presence more than she had in a long time. He handed them to her and she took hold of them.

"An apology," Ed said, "I didn't know what else to do to make it up to you."

"You didn't have to buy me anything," she said to him, "but they're lovely. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Come on, we need to get going now."

….

Ed watched on as Olivia changed into one of his shirts after showering. Ed had caught Jim watching him as he packed some of her belongings into a bag from his apartment. He had almost seen the detective blush as Ed held onto a pair of Olivia's panties and her bra. He had stuffed them into a bag and grabbed her toothbrush along with her spare phone charger that she kept at his place. The shirt was on her mid thigh and Olivia padded out from the bathroom, hair hanging down her shoulders in waves.

"You okay?" Olivia asked from Ed.

The hotel room they were staying in was nice enough. It was on the third floor and Ed had picked up enough snacks to keep them sustained for the entire few days. He had also insisted on ordering room service. The bed was a king size and he had found himself resting on it while Olivia had been showering.

"I should be asking you that," Ed replied and she went to sit down next to him underneath the duvet. Ed's top button was undone and his tie hung loose down his chest. Olivia shrugged as she pulled the duvet up to her lap.

"I never know how I am," she admitted, "when Jim does something brash and impulsive it always scares me."

"I understand that," Ed said to her. "And I know that I will not be able to distract you until you know that Jim is safe and sound."

Looking over to him, Olivia's eyes widened. "How do you know me so well?" she wondered from him.

"Because I love you," was the simple answer that Ed gave her.

Moving to kiss him, Olivia let her lips press against his. Ed wrapped his arms around her waist, pushing her until she was resting underneath him. Moving her own arms around his neck, she tugged her lips back from his and looked him in the eye, forehead pressing to his for a moment.

"I love you too," she said to him, kissing him chastely.

"I promise I'll keep you safe," Ed said to her, voice a whisper. "I promise that I will always keep you safe."

"I know," she said and kissed him again.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	27. Chapter 27

Brushing Olivia's hair from her cheek, Ed cradled her in his arms as she lay against him. Her eyes were on the TV on the wall across from the bed, but she was hardly invested in whatever show was playing. Instead she was worried. Of course she was worried, she did nothing but worry when it came to Jim. Ed understood, of course, and a part of him did not mind, but he just wondered if she would ever not panic. Would she ever be strong enough to embrace the danger? Would she understand why Ed had thrived off of it? A part of him wanted that. He felt that it could bring them closer if she understood him more, but then the other part of him liked her how she was. She was his sweet, docile Olivia. He enjoyed having her scared, knowing that he could protect her.

"Ed," Olivia spoke his name, her voice light. She sounded sleepy. Ed continued running his hand down her hair, hoping that it was soothing her. "I don't know how much longer I can stay awake for."

"You've had a busy day," Ed whispered down to her. He had changed into his own pyjamas and climbed into bed with Olivia. She had been resting against his side for a few hours, both of them eating room service and snacking.

"Well…not that I've been sleeping well since we argued," Olivia said to him. Ed rested his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes and nodding.

"Neither have I," he responded, "but when Galavan is taken care of then we can go back home. We can go back and everything will be as it should be."

"Hmm," Olivia hummed in contentment.

Ed kissed the top of her head as they heard a knock on the door. Olivia sat up straight, fear coursing through her veins. Who knew they were there? Ed moved from the bed as Olivia moved to support her weight on her stretched out arm. Holding up a finger for her to keep quiet, Ed stepped towards the door, feet padding on the plush carpet flooring. He looked through the peephole and his shoulders slumped in relief. Pulling the door open, he looked on.

"Doctor Thompkins," he greeted her, relief in his voice.

Olivia moved to stand then as she saw Lee stood in the doorway. She tugged on the shirt she wore, making sure that it was covering her to her mid-thigh.

"Sorry, Ed, but Jim said you would be here and I had to come," Lee spoke.

"Lee," Olivia sighed and Lee looked to her. She was wearing one of Ed's shirts, his sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the material unbuttoned on her chest. Ed stepped aside and allowed Lee into the hotel room. Closing the door, he locked it once again as Olivia embraced Lee, holding onto her tightly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Lee nodded her head. "I went to see Jim before all of this and he told me what he planned to do."

"I didn't agree with it," Olivia said, stepping back from Lee and sitting on the end of the bed as Lee took the chair at the dresser. Olivia folded her legs beneath her while Ed sat down next to her, his arm moving to rest behind her back as he leaned back slightly. "I told him not to go after Galavan. What good could it do? He would have been better off dealing with this inside the law."

"But the issue is that he is outside the law," Ed said, pointing downwards. "He wouldn't be able to convince them to stop Galavan until it is too late."

"But working with Penguin?" Lee asked, voice still on edge. "It is dangerous and I am scared for him. I am scared what might happen."

"Me too," Olivia agreed and Lee watched as Ed moved a hand to her arm, comfortingly stroking it. She turned to look to him and he offered her a reassuring smile.

"So you guys are back on?" Lee asked.

"Fully," Ed said with a nod. "I told Olivia how that night I had been harbouring Penguin because I knew what he wanted to do with Galavan and how he wanted Jim's help…I should have told her the truth, but I panicked."

"We're fine," Olivia said, looking to him. "Really," she whispered for added reassurance.

Ed smiled again and leant in, kissing her tenderly on the cheek before she looked back to Lee. The two women shared a knowing look, with Olivia reaching out to rest a hand on Ed's thigh.

"And you and Jim?" Olivia asked from Lee. "Are you two okay? Will you be okay with this?"

Lee sighed, running a hand through her hair. She tossed it over her shoulder and knew that Olivia was going to find out sooner rather than later. It had taken a lot of self-restraint to stop her from telling her before Jim sometimes, especially when Jim was always out and at work. Olivia was the closest thing she had to a best friend. She was her confidant since she had arrived in Gotham.

"Well, I hope so," Lee said, "but there is something that I need to tell you. I would have preferred for me and Jim to tell you together, but I don't know what is going to happen or when this will be over."

Olivia frowned. "What is it?" she wondered from her.

"I'm pregnant," Lee said.

Olivia's mouth dropped open as she heard that piece of information. Placing a hand over her mouth, she finally found her words and smiled. Ed's hearing faltered when he heard a high pitched squeak escape Olivia. She stumbled to her feet and rushed over to Lee. Lee managed a smile at her enthusiasm as Olivia bent down and held onto her tightly.

"That is great news," Olivia said, pulling back. "How far gone are you?"

"A month and a half, I think," Lee said, "so I think it is best to keep things quiet until we have the twelve week scan."

"A baby," Olivia said softly, moving to perch on the arm of the chair Lee sat in.

"Congratulations," Ed managed to inject into the conversation.

"Thanks, Ed," Lee responded.

Olivia suddenly had a dawning through, hand going to Lee's shoulder. "Wait," she spoke, "so Jim knows you are pregnant and still intends to go through with this plan?"

Lee shrugged. "Galavan had Bruce Wayne and Jim couldn't leave him. We know what your brother is like, Liv," Lee said. "I just need to keep thinking about him coming home. I'm trying to be optimistic."

"I'm sure he will come back," Olivia said, knowing she now had to be optimistic. She tried to brighten her tone once more, squeezing Lee's shoulder. "A baby…wow…I mean, do I get to be godmother as well as fun Aunt?"

"You don't even need to ask," Lee said to her and Olivia squealed again, clasping her hands together. "I mean, I haven't had chance to speak it through with Jim, but there is no chance he would say no."

"This is so exciting," Olivia said. "I mean, it is such good news, Lee. We never have good news."

"I know," Lee agreed with her, "and I will be happy when all of this is over and I know Jim is safe."

"He will be," Olivia said with a nod of her head. "He has to be."

"I hope so," was all Lee offered and she moved to her feet. "I should head off to my own room and leave you two. You're probably tired."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, also rising to her feet. "I can come down with you if you need me?"

Ed forced himself to keep quiet, but Lee shook her head. She assured Olivia that she would be fine and would let her know as soon as she heard about what had happened. They had embraced again and Olivia had watched Lee walk down the corridor and away to her own suite. Closing the door once more, Olivia locked it and turned to see Ed still sat on the edge of the bed. He pushed his glasses further onto his nose as she walked back into the bedroom, her arms crossing over and hands holding onto her forearms.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked of her.

She nodded to him and he stood up, moving to stand in front of her. Taking hold of her waist, he leaned back and peered down to her.

"Jim…a dad," she whispered. She blinked a few times and shook her head. "I guess there are some things you never see coming and my brother having a kid is one of them. I shouldn't be shocked really…it's natural, isn't it? But I didn't think that it would happen this soon."

"I suppose he must be happy," Ed said.

"I imagine so," Olivia said. "I just want him back safe and sound now. He has a child to think about on top of everything else."

"Had he ever spoken about kids before?" Ed enquired from her and she scoffed, shaking her head. She went to crawl back into bed and Ed followed suit. He took the other side, leaving his arm dangling out for her to rest against. She curled against his side once more, hand clenched on his chest.

"Not really," Olivia said to Ed. "I suppose it's not a conversation you normally have with your brother, but for a long time the only family we had was just us two. It's always just been me and Jim."

"And now that family is growing," Ed commented.

"I'm happy about that," Olivia confirmed. "I love Lee. I think she is great and good for Jim. I wonder if they'll get married?"

"That sounds legitimate," Ed said to her and sniffed the air before speaking, his chin doubling as he managed to look to her face. "And you know…well…I am always here for you, Liv. I have no intention of going anywhere."

"I know," Olivia said, patting his chest. She rested her chin on top of her hand and glanced up at him. "I love you, Ed."

"I love you too," Ed whispered and kissed her briefly.

"So," Olivia said in a drawl once they had parted, "what do you think we should do when all this is over? I feel like I should throw some kind of congratulations dinner for Jim and Lee."

"They would like that," Ed agreed. "Perhaps dinner somewhere nice? I get the feeling that they would prefer something quiet instead of a party?"

"Oh definitely," Olivia nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I can get them some presents too…oh I could make a scrapbook for them…pictures as they go through pregnancy…something to remember that time."

"That is very sentimental," Ed commented. Olivia shrugged.

"Do you think it is too soppy?"

"No," Ed quickly said, "I think that it sounds lovely."

"So that is one idea," Olivia said. "I'll have to go shopping when we get back to Gotham. Will you come and help?"

"I don't know how much use I would be," Ed warned her.

"I mean you don't have to come if you-"

"-No, no, no," Ed said, interrupting her and squeezing her shoulders. "I want to come, Liv, I am just warning you that I might not be the best help."

"I don't care," she assured him. "It would be nice for us to do something normal, wouldn't it? We could go shopping and then grab lunch…spend an afternoon on the sofa and then order takeout."

"Sounds idyllic," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You should try and get some sleep. Both of our phones are on loud and we will hear them if they start ringing."

"Okay," Olivia agreed, wondering if she would be able to sleep, despite how tired she was. She closed her eyes and moved away, rolling onto her side. Ed followed suit, his head hitting the pillow. He placed his glasses onto the bedside table.

"Do you want space?" Ed wondered.

"No," she responded and took hold of his arm, draping it over her waist as she held onto his hand. Ed stuffed his other arm under the pillow she had her head on, his front pressed to her back. "Goodnight, Ed."

"Goodnight, Liv," Ed whispered against her ear and closed his eyes, a smirk on his face as he realised he had what we wanted.

….

Olivia had been overjoyed with relief at the news that Jim was safe and well. It was the following afternoon when he called and said that business had been sorted. It was then when Ed's idea had struck. It was a Saturday afternoon and Jim was safe. Olivia wasn't worried about anything. She had a weight lifted off of her. And so Ed suggested they stay in the hotel. They could spend a weekend ordering room service, watching TV and laying in bed. Olivia had agreed, liking the idea of it being just the two of them for a while.

Reality had soon hit on Monday when they had to return back to the city for work. Ed had dropped Olivia off at work, telling her that he would pick her up that evening and spend time with her. She had warned him that Jim had insisted she go round for dinner, but she doubted that Jim would mind if Ed joined them.

Ed picked Olivia up after work, standing outside of the car with a smile on his face. Olivia returned it, greeting him warmly. Kissing him quickly, Olivia allowed him to hold the car door open for her. She climbed in, both of them talking about their days at work on their way over to Lee's apartment.

Once inside, Olivia greeted Jim warmly, holding onto him and asking him how he was doing.

"Lee said that she told you our news," Jim commented, opening a bottle of wine.

"She did," Olivia said as Lee set the dining table. "You're going to be a father. How weird does that feel? I mean, are you responsible enough to look after a child?"

"Haha," Jim drawled at his sister's teasing tone and she kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm happy for you," Olivia said to him. "It's great news, Jim."

"Well, prepare for the next piece of news," Jim said and looked to Lee. The doctor stood up straight and moved over to Jim, holding onto his arm while Olivia looked on. "I asked Lee to marry me."

"I knew it!" Olivia exclaimed and Jim chuckled as Lee laughed. Ed remained stood behind Olivia, watching the scene unfold. He had somehow found himself involved in this dynamic.

"You knew it?" Jim checked as Lee held her ring finger up and flashed her engagement ring. Olivia moved to take hold of her hand, examining the ring as Jim watched his sister. "How did you know it?"

"It just felt right," Olivia shrugged, "what with having a baby…being married…you can be a family."

"That is wonderful news," Ed finally piped up. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Ed," Lee said.

"Hey, Ed," Jim spoke. "Can I borrow you for a moment? I just need to ask you about the case we're working on."

"Of course," Ed said and followed Jim over to the living room while Olivia kept on gushing with Lee.

Standing across from Jim, Ed waited for him to ask his question. He suspected that there was no chance Jim wanted to discuss the case. In fact, it seemed more likely that he wanted to know about Ed's involvement with Penguin. But Ed had been clever. Both him and Penguin had come up with the same story. They were on the same page.

"Listen, Ed, I want to thank you for looking after me after what Galavan did," Jim said, hands on his hips. "But…well…"

"You are concerned about the nature of my relationship with Penguin?" Ed guessed and Jim nodded. "You have nothing to be worried over. I found Penguin one evening while I was out walking. He was battered…beaten…he kept whispering about how his mother had died and he needed to see you. I suspected that it might be for the best to bring him back to my apartment until he sobered up and told me why he wanted to see you. It turned out you both had similar concerns over Galavan."

"I see," Jim said.

"I doubt I will see him again," Ed said. That was true. He hadn't seen Oswald since Galavan had been found shot. He was accused of the murder. Jim had never said anything on the contrary. "I just wanted to help."

"You did," Jim promised Ed, a hand moving to rest on his shoulder. "And thank you for looking after Olivia."

"Oh…well that was my pleasure," Ed nodded his head.

"She really likes you, Ed," Jim said, smile on his face.

"And I…well…I love her," Ed admitted and Jim's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Ed to say it out loud to him. Glancing over to his sister, Jim watched as she poured three glasses of wine and tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling as Lee said something to her. Looking back to Ed, Jim nodded.

"I'm happy for you both," Jim managed to say.

"I will look after her," Ed said. "I promise."

…

"Do you want to go back to mine or yours?" Ed asked after dinner with Jim and Lee. Olivia sat in the passenger seat, eyes closing as she felt herself on the verge of tiredness.

"Hmm," she mused. "Yours."

"As you wish," Ed said to her, holding onto the steering wheel as Olivia looked out the window. "You know, being at dinner with Jim and Lee…it made me realise something. We haven't exactly defined what we are, have we?"

"Defined what we are?" Olivia echoed back, eyes turning to him. "I did not know we had to define what we are."

Ed shrugged. "Well, we are clearly dating, but I wondered if perhaps you would mind if I…well…called you my girlfriend?"

Olivia looked entertained at hearing that. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Ed?"

"I think I would like that," Ed said.

"Mmm," she hummed again, moving to fold one leg over the other. "I think I would like that too."

Ed continued smiling to himself as Olivia closed her eyes and dozed off for a while. He drove back to the apartment steadily, knowing that everything would be fine now. He would see that it was.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	28. Chapter 28

Olivia had spoken to her brother about the Victor Fries case, scolding Lee for going to Arkham with Fries' wife after she had been used as bait to try and lure him out of hiding. It had worked, of course, with Fries concerned for the safety of his wife. It was the Friday after the entire ordeal when she found herself dining with Jim and Lee in a fancy Italian restaurant. Ed had told her that he had to work late on something and so he could not join them.

"You know we never spoke about what happened after that night with Barbara," Olivia informed her brother, sensing there was some tension between Lee and Jim. She wondered what was going on, but she suspected it was best not to get involved, even though she really wanted to know.

"Not now, Liv," Jim complained to his sister, sipping on his wine as Lee glowered over to Jim.

"Okay," Olivia said, sitting back in her chair and looking between Lee and Jim. "What is going on here? I know that there is something wrong."

"Ask your brother," Lee urged from Olivia. "He is the one keeping secrets from us."

"Do you want to bring this up here?" Jim asked from his fiancée and Lee shrugged her shoulders. "We're in a restaurant, Lee. We're in public. Let's not do this here, okay?"

"And where should we do it?" Lee demanded from him and Olivia suddenly felt like a third wheel. She should not be here. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, picking up her glass of orange juice and sipping on it. "Because I know you are lying to me about Galavan. What you did with Nora Fries was wrong, Jim. You had no right to use her as bait."

"And you had no right to go with her and put our baby at risk," Jim sniped back and Olivia sighed to herself, glad that Ed was not with her.

"I had to go with Nora to Arkham because she was under my care," Lee hissed. "You decided to use her to bring Victor out. That was your choice and it was a bad choice. She was sick, Jim. She was a sick and innocent woman."

"It was police work," Jim said and Lee scoffed loudly.

"Police work," she said, "is that what this is?"

"Lee, can we discuss this when we get home."

"Sorry," Lee said quickly, moving to her feet and tossing her napkin onto the table. She looked to Olivia and held her hand up. "I can't do this, Liv. I have to go. I'm sorry."

"Yeah…okay," was all that Olivia managed to say in response to her.

"Lee-" Jim tried to grab her attention again.

"I am going home," she said. "I need some time alone."

He watched her leave the restaurant and ran his hand down his cheek. He slumped back in his seat then as his sister observed him. She folded one leg over the other and then placed her orange juice back down onto the table. Looking to Jim, she arched her brow as his gaze fell onto her. Sighing, he did his best not to crack under her stare.

"Talk to me," she urged from him. "What is going on, Jim?"

"I don't know," Jim said, clearly lying to his sister.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I'm your sister," she said, moving to her feet and reaching into her bag. She pulled out a twenty from her purse and placed it onto the table considering they had only had drinks. "I know when you are lying to me, Jim. Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere where we can talk," she said.

She shrugged into her red coat, letting it hang loosely on her frame as Jim put his grey coat on. His sister draped her satchel on her shoulder and he followed her out of the restaurant. She had parked in the carp park at the rear. She unlocked the car and climbed into the driver's seat as Jim took the passenger's seat. She tossed her bag onto the backseat and didn't start the ignition. She rotated her upper body to look at her brother and shrugged.

"Spill," she demanded from him. "I want to know what is going on."

"I think you got the gist of it in there. She is annoyed I used Nora as bait," Jim said to his sister.

"And Galavan?" she asked from him. "Why is she suspicious about what happened?"

Jim pinched the bridge of his nose and bowed his head. He shook his head, feeling the weight of his secret on his shoulder. He wanted to tell someone. He wanted someone to know what he had done. He had killed Galavan. But if he told someone then it became dangerous. One person who knew would be one too many.

"I'm your sister," Olivia continued. "I know that Lee is your fiancée and you trust her, but there is something else, isn't there? She hasn't known you as long as I have. I know when you are hiding something from me."

"It's for the best," Jim whispered. "Liv, it's for the best."

"She's right, isn't she?" Olivia continued pressing him, sensing that she was getting closer to finding out the truth. Jim was going to tell her. She could sense that he wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know. "What happened to Galavan, Jim?"

"I did it," Jim mumbled, finally speaking the truth. Looking to Olivia, he saw that she remained impassive. She didn't look horrified. She didn't look stunned. She looked as though she was calmer than before. "Galavan was dangerous, Liv. Penguin…he was beating him…he was going to beat him to death and I couldn't watch that. I shot him."

"Why?" Olivia asked, her throat clenching and dry. "Jim, why did you even get yourself into that predicament? He would have gone to jail."

"Olivia, he was still dangerous inside of jail," he said to his sister. "He would always be dangerous and I couldn't let him live. He would have killed Bruce…he was a bad man."

"And you took it on yourself to decide that?" she asked from her brother. "You killed a man for Penguin and now you killed Galavan. When did you start taking the law into your own hands, Jim?"

Jim shook his head. "It isn't like that," he said to her. "Liv, I did what I had to do. Please…it is still me…I am still me. I'm still your brother and I still want to do the right thing. I don't want to justify what I did because deep down I know I probably can't, but I just want to move on. I don't want to spend time mourning men who would have killed me without a second thought."

Olivia wondered if he had a point there. Was she any better than her brother, really? She was harbouring Ed's secret. She had forgiven Ed. Ed had done what he had done to save Kristen. Jim had done it to save Bruce. He had done it to protect Gotham from a man who was hell bent on revenge. Looking at him, Olivia's eyes ran over his face and she nodded her head. Jim looked on the verge of breaking down, exhaustion clear on his face.

"I'm still me, Liv."

"I know," Olivia agreed with her brother, nodding her head and she moved over to take hold of his arm. She squeezed it softly as Jim placed his hand on top of hers.

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone," he urged from his sister.

"What about Lee, Jim?" Olivia asked from him. "You're going to get married. You can't just keep secrets."

"I know," he sighed, "and I will talk with Lee. I promise."

"Okay," Olivia nodded her head. "You know I'm always here for you, Jim. I just don't want you to get hurt. I worry about you."

"Don't worry about me," Jim urged from her, picking her hand up and squeezing it tightly. "I'll make things right, Liv. But I might need to crash at your place tonight…give Lee some space."

"No problem," she assured him, letting go of his hand and placing the keys into the ignition. "I can drop you off at mine and I'm going to spend the night at Ed's. I will be back early in the morning."

"Speaking of Ed," Jim said as his sister started the car and she tried to come to terms with what Jim had confessed to her. How could she be so calm about this? She thought that she might have a different reaction, but she only felt numb when Jim had told her what had happened. She felt nothing but an understanding for why he had done it. "Has he mentioned Kristen recently?"

"No, why?" Olivia frowned, her brows knitting together as she left the car park. "Last thing I heard she was annoyed with him still."

"Well Lee said that Ed had heard that she had gone off with Tom Dougherty," Jim said and Olivia felt her spine stiffen. That was not possible. How could she have done that? Why would she have done that even if Dougherty was alive? "But she hasn't collected her pay slips for weeks…Lee is concerned."

"I don't know," Olivia said to her brother, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, Ed said he hadn't heard from her either."

Olivia remained silent as they drove through the streets, her mind racing as she wondered exactly why Ed had fed them a lie.

…

Opening the door to his apartment, Ed looked down as Olivia stood there. She moved into the open space as he wrapped an arm around her waist and bent down, kissing her tenderly. He wore a plain white top and grey bottoms. His hair was damp and he smelt of sweet musk from showering. His glasses were falling down the edge of his nose as he looked to her, feeling her press against him. He kept his arms firmly around her waist as he spun her around, kicking the door shut behind him. Her hands went to his chest as she managed to pull back.

"Hey," Ed whispered, kissing her again.

"Hey," she greeted him back. "How are you?"

"Fine," Ed said to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't come for dinner."

"Don't worry," she said, waving a hand in dismissal, not telling him that it had been a disaster. "Listen, we need to talk."

Ed felt her push herself from him, escaping his grip. He said nothing for a few moments, watching her wander into his flat. She raked a hand through her hair, pushing it over her shoulders before dropping her hands to her hips. It took her a moment to compose herself before she faced him. Ed knew what this would be about. He knew exactly what would have happened and he had prepared himself for the questions.

"Kristen Kringle," Olivia spoke her name, clear distaste on the tip of her tongue. "Why did you say she had gone off with Tom Dougherty?"

Ed shrugged his shoulders. "I panicked," he admitted to Olivia. He knew that he could convince her that he was being honest. She was in love with him. She was willing to believe him. "I know what I did, Olivia. I killed Tom Dougherty and now Kristen has gone missing…I just thought that the two of them disappearing together seemed logical."

"But where has Kristen gone?" Olivia asked from Ed. "Why did you not just say that you didn't know instead of lying?"

"I thought that it might cure the issue of people looking for Dougherty if they thought he had eloped with Kristen."

"But where is Kristen?" Olivia asked him again.

"I don't know," Ed lied to her once more, shrugging his shoulders as he approached her. He moved his hands to her upper arms. He squeezed them gently and then moved a finger to her chin, his finger tipping her gaze up to his. "Olivia, I don't know where she is. I have no idea, but I…I didn't want anyone snooping around me. If they think she is with Dougherty then that's fine. If they thought that I was her ex-boyfriend and she was last seen here then they might suspect me. This puts distance between us."

"But are you not concerned?" Olivia asked from him and she sat down on the end of his bed as he knelt on the ground, sitting in between her legs. He kept hold of her waist, his thumb running in circles around her flesh. "Has she gone missing because of us? Because of what I did?"

"No," Ed said firmly, not wanting her to think about that. "You are nothing to do with why she has gone missing, Olivia. She probably just needed some time away."

"You're sure?" Olivia checked with him.

"Positive," he whispered. "Besides, if she has done a runner then it is because of me. I should never have dated her, not when I knew we would be together."

"You knew that?" she asked from him and his lips quirked upwards at hearing her. She moved her hands to his shoulders, holding onto them tightly as he did his best not to smile in glee. She was giving him contact. She was easy to break down.

"I just had to wait for you to know it," Ed confirmed.

"Sweet," Olivia whispered and sighed, massaging his shoulders. "You sure she's going to be okay? Jim is looking into it so hopefully she can just confirm she is fine and then he will leave it be…she'll be out of our lives."

"I'm sure she is okay," Ed said, moving to kiss her softly once more. She didn't push him back this time. Instead she kept her lips moulded to his, hands lacing together at the back of his neck. Ed's arms tightened around her waist as he managed to move, hauling her upwards and then pushing her further onto his bed, collapsing on top of her. She kicked her shoes off and wrapped her legs around his waist while he reached for her coat, shrugging her out of it before trying to find the zipper on the back of her dress. Running her hands underneath his top, she felt the planes of his slender stomach as he tugged her dress down, moving to kiss across to her ear, whispering hotly once he was there. "I love you, Olivia."

….

Lounging in bed on the Monday morning, Olivia chewed down on the croissant that Ed had brought after making breakfast in bed. He had placed a mug of tea on the bedside table before climbing back into bed. Olivia was still dressed in her pyjamas.

"What are we doing today?" Olivia asked him, legs crossed and plate balanced on her knee. She had the day off from school and Ed had booked the day off of work.

"I don't know," Ed said, even though he had a plan. He wanted to show off. He longed to show off. Jim was onto him and he was not going to let him get away with everything. Ed was convinced that he could get away with something bigger. He wanted to see if it was true. Plus, he needed to throw Gordon off of Kristen.

"Well, we could go out?" Olivia suggested to him. "What about a film?"

"We went to see a film last week," he reminded her and she nodded.

"We did," she confirmed. "So what about…I don't know…"

"The museum?" Ed suggested to her.

"I detest museums, they smell fusty," she said. Ed knew. He remembered she had said something to him along those lines before. "Oh," she said and Ed's face lit up. Was she going to suggest exactly where he wanted to go? "What about the art gallery?"

Ed knew she liked art. He just needed her to suggest the place.

"Sounds perfect."

…

Ed felt elated. He had his cap in his coat pocket and was ready to steal the paining that he had his eye on. He had planted the smoke bomb in the middle of the art gallery and he knew exactly when it was going to off. It would do no damage, but it would release enough smoke to flood the place. He just had to make certain he got rid of Olivia by then so he had two minutes alone to take the painting and stuff it in his pocket.

Holding onto her hand as he wandered through the museum, he couldn't help but feel elevation. He was enjoying this. He wanted that thrill. He wanted Olivia to be part of it, but he knew that she would not agree with what he intended to do, especially because it concerned her brother. But she didn't need Jim. She just needed him.

Ed felt her arm brush against his as she swung their hands softly between their bodies. Ed looked down to her and smiled, bending down and kissing her on the top of her head. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they looked onto the painting of flowers in a field.

"I could use a drink for the remainder of the tour," Ed said to her, brushing her hair over her shoulder. "Do you want a tea?"

"Would love one," she said. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no," Ed said, "there was a refreshment cart in the gallery next door. I will be back in a minute."

"Okay," Olivia said and he dropped her hand before wandering off. She wandered further into the gallery, footsteps light and a smile stuck on her face. She looked at the paintings on the wall before she heard noises from the room next door. Frowning, she wondered what was going on before she saw the exhibit in the centre of the room. It looked like a large grenade and it had begun to make a beeping noise, smoke leaving it.

Instantly fearing the worst as the room filled with smoke, she looked around, a sea of faces around her. She felt fear rise up inside of her, wondering where Ed was. People kept screaming and running for the exit, but Ed had gone in the opposite direction.

"Ed!?" she shouted his name. "Ed!"

She looked ahead and saw him running towards her. He looked worried. Reaching out for her, Ed took hold of her hand inside of his, the two of them now lagging behind the crowds that were escaping.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked from her.

"Fine," she said as the two of them followed everyone else out of the gallery. "Is that a bomb?"

"I don't know," Ed lied to her. "I didn't see anything. I just heard screaming and the room began to fill with smoke."

Olivia nodded as they finally came outside, security guards ushering them onto the sidewalk. Once they were there, Olivia looked back up to the art gallery as the crowd gathered, discussing what had happened in animated voices. Ed wrapped his arms around her, bringing her attention back to him. She moved her own arms back around his midriff.

"That was terrifying," Olivia whispered, cheek against his chest.

"I know," Ed said, but he didn't feel fear. He felt pure elation and that was not going to go away. He needed that thrill. He lived for it. He also knew what was coming up next. His grip on Olivia increased at the thought. The game had begun.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	29. Chapter 29

Jim and Harvey walked up to the art gallery after parking their car around the corner. Flashing his badge at the officer on duty, Jim ducked under the tape cordoning off the building. There were still witnesses he wanted to interview, but he doubted any of them would know much. Officers were taking statements and he would see if any account came back with something interesting in it. He looked over the sea of faces before noticing his sister stood talking to an officer, Ed by her side. Jim's brows furrowed together and he patted Harvey on the back.

"I'll be with you in a minute," he said and Harvey nodded, continuing up the stairs and into the gallery. Jim made a beeline back down the steps and towards his sister. He gave Officer Digby a pat on the shoulder and said that he would take over the interview.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Olivia.

"I suggested a trip to the art gallery," Olivia responded. "Ed had booked the day off work because we have the day off school…what is going on?"

"I don't know," Jim said to his sister. "There was a painting stolen. I only know that much."

"There looked to be some kind of smoking device," Ed said, pushing his glasses further onto his nose as he spoke. "I don't think it was a bomb, but it looked like it could be one. Nothing detonated, anyway."

"Thanks, Ed," Jim said. "I hate to ask, but do you think that you could maybe come back to work for the day? We might need you and you're the best we've got."

"Well, I guess," Ed said with a shrug, trying not to look too giddy at the prospect of going back to work and investigating his own crime. He glanced down to Olivia. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not," Olivia said, slightly put out that their day had been cut short. She completely understood why, however. She placed a hand on Ed's shoulder and stood on her tiptoes, kissing him chastely. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Here," Ed said, moving his hand into his pocket and feeling the can of green spray paint he had used to deface the paintings. He pulled out the keys to his apartment. "Go back to mine if you want."

"Thanks," Olivia said, taking the keys and placing them in her own pocket. "I'll get a taxi once I've finished picking up some groceries for dinner."

"Okay," Ed agreed with that considering they had come in his car.

"Be careful," she urged from both Jim and Ed. She embraced her brother quickly before kissing Ed once more and wandering off.

Jim watched her go, eyes on the back of her head as she walked across the road.

"We'll bag up everything we have," Jim said to Ed. "I'll get it sent back to the lab asap."

"I will head back and wait for it," Ed confirmed and walked away, knowing what it was he had to do next.

…

Olivia had heard about the bomb at the train station and how Jim had managed to evacuate everyone in time before disposing of the bomb safely. Ed had returned back to the apartment to find her cooking after talking with her brother and ensuring that he was safe. She was making a pasta bake and was about to place it in the oven, a glass of white wine on the worktop that she had been sipping.

"Hey," Olivia said, turning her head over her shoulder to see Ed. "Are you okay? How was work?"

"Fine," Ed said to her. "I was called in to work on the case at the train station. It's been a long day."

"Jim said that it is someone leaving green question marks," Olivia said. "He said that the bomb was hidden in a locker. What would have happened if Jim hadn't found it, Ed?"

"We don't need to think like that," Ed assured her, shrugging out of his coat and placing it on his coat rack. He moved further into the apartment as Olivia closed the oven door and turned around, leaning back against the worktop. He placed his hands on her shoulders, holding them loosely. "Your brother saved the day, Olivia. This was a puzzle and your brother solved it and saved lives."

"But why?" Olivia asked Ed. "What does he want from this?"

"I don't know," Ed said, "but your bother has put me in charge of forensics. Whoever it is, we'll find him."

"I know," Olivia said, her own hands moving on top of Ed's. She moved them then, dropping them to her waist as she moved her own around him, holding onto him tightly. "Did my brother say anything about Kristen?"

"Nothing," Ed said to her, a hand moving to run down her hair gently as she rested her cheek in the crook of his neck. "He is busy with this case now, but I am sure he will look into Kristen when he gets a chance."

"Yeah," Olivia said to him. She pulled back and moved a hand down his checked shirt, feeling his brown tie as he continued to watch her. "Listen, this things is going to be in the oven for a while. I'm thinking I might go and shower while it cooks."

"Of course," Ed said, nodding his head. He had work to do and he needed to make sure Olivia was out the way for a while. He needed to find his leather gloves and crowbar before he paid Officer Pinkney a visit this evening. Of course, he had a sure fire way to make sure Olivia slept soundly while he was gone. "Why don't you go and shower and I'll set the table and think about whipping up a soufflé."

"And that is why I love you," Olivia said to him, kissing him quickly before making a dive for the bathroom.

Ed waited until he heard the running water and moved quickly. He grabbed the bag he kept in the cupboard in the corner, tossing his leather gloves into it alongside his crowbar. He closed the door and made a start on finding the ingredients for the soufflé before he heard the intercom buzz. Moving over to it, he wondered who it could be. His eyes widened as he looked at the small screen to see Penguin stood outside his apartment. He buzzed him in without another word and moved to the door. He stepped out into the corridor and looked around. He couldn't let Olivia or anyone know that he was here.

"Ed, my old friend," Penguin spoke, his voice very cheery.

"Penguin!" Ed exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I heard you got released?"

"Can I come in for a moment?" Penguin asked and Ed bit down on his lip.

"I would love to let you," he said, voice full of excitement at the sight of the man in front of him. "I honestly would love to let you in, but Olivia is here and she doesn't know…well…she doesn't need to know about what we did."

"Say no more," Penguin said and Ed couldn't help but think he looked overly cheerful for a man covered in feathers. Ed wondered what exactly had happened. "So how have you been, old friend?"

"I've been well," Ed said. "I have been very well. And what about you? But…well…what happened?" Ed asked, gesturing to the feathers covering him.

"Oh," Penguin said, tone jovial. "This was Butch and Tabitha having fun. They did talk about killing me, so this is actually pretty nice of them considering."

Ed frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "Pretty nice of them?" Ed echoed. "They did a good job on you in Arkham, huh?"

"Ed, I am here to tell you as a friend that violence is not the answer," Penguin said and Ed wondered just what had happened to Penguin. This was not him and Ed did not want to hear this speech. "I am a changed man…I am better and you can change too…you can be a better man for Olivia…"

"Cool," Ed said. "Tempting offer," he continued, "but the thing is I quite like who I am right now and Olivia does too. She likes this confident me, especially in the bedroom, I mean wow," Ed said and then shook his head. "And the things you told me about Jim Gordon are really paying off." Ed laughed at that.

"Is it?" Penguin asked, slightly concerned.

"Oh, it really is," Ed confirmed to him. "I would love to share, honestly I would, but let's just say that it will be exciting to see, okay?"

"Okay…yes…" Penguin nodded.

"And besides, the new you is freaking me out," Ed confirmed. "Anyway, I need to get back in…I'm cooking dinner with Olivia and I don't want her to worry."

"Of course, yes," Penguin said, nodding his head. "I will hopefully see you soon, old friend."

"Yes, hopefully," Ed said to him and walked back into his apartment after waving goodbye to Penguin. He closed the door and walked back into the kitchen. He began baking, listening to Olivia hum in the shower in the background. She turned the water off after a few moments and it was clear that she had heard nothing going on. She came out the bathroom wrapped in a towel, hair wet and hanging down her back. She continued humming as she padded to the dresser and pulled out underwear and the shirt she wore to bed.

As she placed them on the bed and closed the drawer, her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she looked at the text message.

"Shit," Olivia mumbled.

"What is it?" Ed enquired.

"They are reopening the investigation into Galavan," she said to Ed. "Jim said that someone came forward with new evidence."

"What new evidence?" Ed asked, trying to hide his glee as he finished making the soufflé, pouring the mixture into two separate dishes, ready to go into the oven.

"He didn't say," Olivia said and placed her phone back down. "He's pretty vague on the details and he said he was busy, but fine."

"I am sure it is someone maybe playing a hoax," Ed said to her. "Jim wasn't even there when Galavan was killed, was he?"

"No," Olivia said, but her voice was unsure. Looking to her, Ed wondered if she knew. She was sat on the edge of his bed, still wrapped in her towel. Did she know what Jim had done? Her face seemed to imply that she did. She looked concerned. Why would she be concerned if Jim had not been there?

"Is everything okay?" Ed asked from her.

She forced the smile back onto her face and nodded. "Fine," she said to him, moving to stand up and change into the shirt.

Ed took over on cooking duties then and moved his hand into his pocket for the small bag of powder he had. Pulling it out as Olivia grabbed the plates, he poured the powder into her glass of wine, swirling it behind her back so she didn't notice. He handed her the glass and watched her drink it slowly over dinner. The two of them talked about Ed's day and what Olivia had to do at work the next day before wondering if they should try and go out again on Friday night, joking that they always seemed to get caught up in something whenever they went out.

Olivia yawned loudly once they were sat watching TV on the sofa. Ed had his arm over the back of the sofa with Olivia leaning against him. Looking down to her as he checked his watch on his other wrist, he smirked.

"It's late," he said.

"Hmm," she hummed. She was already on the verge of sleep. "I'm sorry. I feel exhausted."

"Then let's go to bed," Ed said.

He helped her up from the sofa, hauling her up by her hands. She walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back. Climbing into it, Ed changed into his pyjamas and climbed in behind her. She was already asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows. Kissing her on the cheek, he bid her goodnight. She didn't respond. Ed sat up again, flicking her on the cheek. She was out cold. He moved from the bed and got changed once more, prepared to put the final piece of his puzzle in place.

…

Olivia was groggy when she woke up the following morning. She had slept all night without any interruption. Turning onto her side, she looked to Ed who was already awake.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," she responded.

"I have to head into work early," Ed said to her, voice a soft whisper. "There's been a development in the case that I need to work on."

"Okay," Olivia nodded her head. "Do you want me to lock up?"

"Yes," Ed said and she realised he was already dressed. He moved and kissed her quickly, the motion swift. "I will see you tonight, okay?"

"Got it," Olivia said and he moved from the apartment, knowing that she would not be this content when he later saw her, but he would be there. And he was all that she needed.

….

Killing Pinkney had been easy enough. Forensics had traced the fact that the timer on the bomb was activated remotely by the phone, meaning that the bomber could set it off when he wanted. The number had traced back to the payphone just outside of Pinkney's apartment. Pinkney was already dead when Jim had arrived, but then he had been followed in by the Captain. Pinkney had sent a text to him, saying how he was concerned about Jim. He said how he wanted to talk outside of work about Jim. And then the Captain had found Jim in Pinkney's apartment, stood over his dead body.

Ed felt jovial. Everything was coming together. He would get rid of Gordon. He would be able to stop him investigating him and get him off of his back. He knew that this would impact Olivia. She would be devastated, but Ed would be there to pick up the pieces. He would be there to keep her safe and protect her. She would need only him. He would be the only one she had.

"What the hell is happening?" Olivia had demanded once she had driven around to Lee's after work. Opening the door, Lee looked at Olivia and almost felt a pang in her chest. She looked so much like Jim. She was as devastated as Lee was.

"Jim's finger prints were on a crowbar," Lee said to her. "He used a crowbar to open the locker that had the bomb in it. They linked that crowbar to the murder weapon used to kill Officer Pinkney."

"What?" Olivia snapped. "How did they link it? It had to have been a different crowbar."

"It had Jim's prints all over it," Lee said, closing the door to her apartment as Olivia stood in the middle of the living room, tossing her bag onto the sofa. "And then there was a report that Harvey told him about…the report claimed that the bomb had been remotely activated by a payphone outside of Pinkney's apartment."

"So then Harvey can back him up!" Olivia exclaimed.

"No," Lee said. "The report said something completely different. Jim thinks it has been switched…but there is something else."

"What?"

"Officer Pinkney had been the anonymous witness," Lee said. "He was the one linking Jim to Galavan."

Olivia shook her head. "No," she said firmly, knowing her brother. He would not do this. He would never have done this. She knew Jim well enough. She had to see him. "Jim would never have done that. You think that he would have killed a witness?"

"He is claiming that he was set up."

Olivia frowned, folding her arms over her chest. She looked to Lee then, eyeing her with caution. But Lee couldn't even look at her. It was like she was trying to avoid her. Did Lee know what Jim had done to Galavan? Did she have any idea what he had done or was he in the dark?

"Do you believe him?" Olivia asked from Lee, wondering what she was thinking. "Do you believe Jim?"

"He's in county," was all that Lee could say. "They say that his trial could be on going for a while."

"Lee!" Olivia snapped at her, dragging her attention back to her.

Lee shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she said to her. "I know that Jim didn't kill Pinkney. I believe that, Olivia, but I don't know about Galavan. I know that he did something and he lied to me."

"So what do we do?" Olivia demanded from her, not wanting to talk about Galavan. She couldn't do that. "We need to do something, Lee."

"I will call and find the best defence lawyer," she assured Olivia. "I will do everything that I can to help him, Olivia. I love him and I can't…I can't accept that this is it, Olivia. I can't…"

Her voice broke and Olivia rushed to her then. She swept her into her arms as they both sat on the sofa. Olivia cradled Lee, promising her that she would help her. She would help Jim. They would do whatever it took to save him.

…

Ed found Olivia stood outside his apartment later that evening. He looked to her and saw that her eyes were drooping and she had her shoulders slumped over. Ed let her pass by and she dropped her bag to the ground.

"I went to see Lee," she said to him. "She said that the bomber set Jim up. He is claiming that is what happened."

"What do you think?"

"How could you even ask me that?" she snapped at him. "I know my brother, Ed."

"Of course, sorry," Ed said, holding his hands up in defence. "I saw the evidence, Olivia and it was worrying, but you are right…he has to have been set up."

"Lee is going to try and find the best defence lawyer she can," Olivia continued, ignoring Ed's apologies. She shrugged out of her coat and placed it on the coat rack. Moving to her laptop that she had left on the coffee table, she picked it up and sat down on the sofa, opening the lid. "I am going to try and do the same."

"Olivia," Ed said her name.

"What?" she snapped at him.

"I…well…I know that you are not okay," he said to her.

She scoffed. "My brother has been framed for a murder he did not commit. He is looking at spending time in jail, Ed. Do you know what they do to officers in jail? Do you have any idea what they do?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Ed said to her, rushing to sit by her side. "Olivia, I know you are not okay, but it is okay not to be okay, alright? It is okay not to be strong."

"Well I have to be," Olivia said to him. "Jim is relying me. Lee…she is pregnant with my brother's child…she does not need this stress…and I have to help him. I can't cry. I can't be the weak one now."

"Maybe not in front of them," he said to her, taking her laptop from her and placing it on the coffee table again. He held her hands tightly. "But this is in front me, Olivia. You don't need to pretend in front of me."

He didn't want her to pretend. He wanted her to be honest. He wanted all of her. He wanted the messy Olivia as well as the composed Olivia. He didn't want any barriers between them. She just had to be her. He wanted that. He wanted to be the only one to see her.

"I don't know how to process it," Olivia said, voice earnest as Ed moved closer to her, his thigh brushing against hers. "I know Jim…my brother is not perfect. He is anything but perfect, but he is not this man…someone who would kill an officer. This isn't Jim. If Jim says he didn't do this then I believe him. He keeps nothing from me."

Ed wondered if that was the entire truth, wondering if she knew anything about Galavan. He said absolutely nothing, instead he chose to wrap his arms around her. He felt her move and cradle herself against him, finally tears now falling down her cheeks. Edward knew that Olivia would never accept that her brother had done this. She was loyal to Jim. He just had to be the one to pick up the pieces when Jim went down for a long time.

"I feel sick…" Olivia whispered, voice soft as Ed brushed her hair back from her head, her cheek pressed against the crook of his neck. "I don't know what to do, Ed. I'm not a cop…I wouldn't know how to begin investigating any of this…"

"There is nothing that you can do," Ed assured her. "You can only be there for him, as you always are."

Olivia nodded and felt tears fall down her cheeks. She sniffed and moved away from Ed. She wiped her eyes and began to reach for her laptop, but Ed stopped her.

"That can wait until morning," he assured her. "Come on, you need to sleep. You're exhausted and no law firm is open this time at night."

"Do you think that I could sleep?" she asked from him.

"You will have to eventually," he said to her. "You can't act like this. It isn't going to help your brother."

She sighed, but she knew he was right.

"In the morning, I will help you find a lawyer," he said to her. "We will work with Lee and find the best lawyer we can find, okay?"

"Okay," Olivia agreed.

Ed stood up and reached for her hand. She took hold of it and stood up. Ed didn't let her pass to move to the bed. He stood in her way, moving his hands to her cheeks and holding them softly, forcing her to look him in the eye. He bent down, forehead and nose brushing hers. "I'm here, Olivia," he said in a whisper. "I'm always here for you, Olivia."

"I know," she responded. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ed sad. "Now come on, let's go to bed."

….

Jim was being held in the county jail while the trial was pending. It was due to start in another week and Olivia and Lee had tried to find the best defence possible. Olivia had completely moved into Ed's apartment after she had come home and found the door to her apartment covered in eggs with the word 'cop killer' written all over her windows. She had been scared and sat in her car outside, the police had not been interested in what had happened. She was the sister of a cop killer. She had none of their sympathy. She had called Ed instead and he had come in with her, helping her to pack everything up that she wanted to bring to his apartment.

She didn't have too much stuff, but she packed everything that had value to her. Ed had helped her unpack that same night, finding a place to put all of her things in his small closet.

He had gone with her to the prison to see Jim, even though she had insisted that she would be fine alone. Lee was working, but she had urged Olivia to come over later and see her. Lee was lonely without Olivia. She had spent a few nights at Lee's place, much to the silent chagrin of Ed.

"Liv," Jim whispered his sister's name. He wore a red jumpsuit, his hair slicked back on his head. He had a small amount of stubble covering his chin. Olivia was about to start crying, the sight of Jim in jail enough to bring tears to her eyes. Reaching out, Jim placed his hand over hers while Ed remained stoic, sat next to her. "Hey, it's alright…it's alright, Liv."

"None of this is alright," Olivia said to her brother. "You're here and you didn't do this."

"I know," Jim said to his sister. "Liv, I didn't do this…none of this."

Looking him in the eye, she understood what he was saying. He was telling her the truth. He was being honest with her. "I know," she promised him back. "Jim, we will fight this all the way. I promise you."

"If…if we can't-"

"-Don't talk like that," Olivia interrupted him.

"It might happen, Liv," Jim said. "I need you to be prepared for that. I need you and Lee to understand that. I don't want you to wait for me if the worst comes to the worst."

"Do not ask that of me," she snapped at him.

"Ed," Jim said, knowing that his sister was never going to change her mind. She was stubborn, but he needed Ed to keep his eye on her. Looking at the forensic scientist dressed in a smart blue suit, he let his eyes linger on him. "Promise me that you will look out for her. Promise me that you will keep her safe, okay?"

"I promise," Ed said simply. "She has already moved in with me. I will look after her."

"You've moved in together?"

"Yeah," Olivia said.

"Someone had defaced her apartment," Ed said and Olivia nudged him in the ribs.

"What?" Jim demanded.

"It doesn't matter," Olivia brushed off.

"Doesn't matter?" Jim asked from her. "Olivia, someone has made you feel unsafe in your own home. Of course it matters. Have the police looked into it?"

Olivia sighed lowly at that. She felt Ed move a hand to rest on top of her thigh.

"Jim," she whispered, "the cops don't really care about the sister of an alleged cop killer, especially when she's defending him."

"This is all my fault."

"No," Olivia sternly said. "This is the fault of whoever has set you up. I spoke to Harvey and he is still looking into the case, okay? I will do what I can to help him."

"You have a life, Olivia," Jim said to his sister, hand going to rest on her arm. "You need to live it."

"Would you do the same for me?" she asked of him. "You wouldn't give up on me and I am not going to give up on you. You are my brother. I am going to help you."

"Time's up."

The guard's stern voice snapped Jim from the conversation. Nodding, he squeezed his sister's hand and stood up. She reluctantly let go of his fingers as he was led away and Ed ran a hand down her back, trying to soothe her. They stood up and Olivia watched the back of Jim's head disappear before walking away with Ed. He kept hold of her hand as they gave in their passes and signed out. Moving through the car park and back to Ed's car, Olivia tried not to cry openly at the thought of her brother not being free again. She could not handle that.

Climbing into the car, Ed began to drive back home while Olivia silently let tears fall down her cheek.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	30. Chapter 30

Olivia sat in Lee's apartment, her hand holding onto a glass of wine. Lee was sat on the sofa next to her, her own hand holding onto a mug of tea. Olivia looked to the young woman next to her, wondering what was going through Lee's mind. She wondered if she was as worried as Olivia was. She bit down on her bottom lip before she felt Lee move to rest a hand on her arm. She gave it a squeeze and smiled at Olivia, trying to comfort her.

"You okay?" Lee asked from her.

"Holding up," Olivia said. "What about you?"

"Barely holding up," Lee admitted. "Pregnancy and…well…not knowing what is going on is destroying me, Olivia. It is scaring me."

"I know," Olivia said to Lee. "But we will do everything we can to get Jim out of this. The trial starts tomorrow and it could go either way. The lawyer seems…well…confident enough."

"I just need him back," Lee said, looking to the engagement ring on her finger. "I need him to come home to me."

"We are going to try," Olivia said to her, moving to squeeze her hand as she took a swig of her wine. She downed it almost in one, the taste of it sweet on her tongue. She continued to squeeze onto Lee's hand, not wanting to let her go. "We are going to do everything we can to free him. I struggle going to sleep at night…I just think about him in that cell and I know he is innocent. It doesn't feel right."

"I feel the same," Lee assured her. "I can't sleep and I can't even function at work. People watch me, Olivia. They watch me all of the time."

"I know," she said to her. "I can't even go to work without people glaring at me…some of the parents have even asked for their children to be moved to a different class. The school have said that maybe I should take a few weeks off until the trial is over and until things calm down."

"That sounds fair," Lee said to her, holding her mug on her thigh. "I think…depending on what happens…I don't want to stay in Gotham, Olivia. I want to move away where no one knows us. I want a fresh start where we can raise this baby in peace. I need that."

Olivia realised that was a lot to digest. She hadn't thought about Lee leaving, but it made sense. Why would she even want to contemplate staying in Gotham? What was there keeping her here except Jim? There was nothing. If Jim was freed then Olivia would even encourage for him to go. He deserved to go to a city and be free to raise his child without worrying.

"I agree," Olivia said to her. "I think that would be for the best. Jim would like that too."

"And you?" Lee asked from her. "What do you want to do?"

Olivia shrugged. "I hadn't thought of it," she responded. "I enjoy my job here, but maybe a fresh start wouldn't be the worst thing. Maybe it would be what I need…but there is Ed…"

"How has Ed been?"

"A saint," Olivia answered honestly to her. "He cooks for me every night…tries to distract me…make me feel better. He can sometimes be quite suffocating, but he means well. I like living with him and I've been wondering if maybe I should ask if he wants to make it permanent."

"As in move in together properly?"

"Yeah," Olivia responded. "I love him, Lee. He's the nicest guy I've ever dated. He treats me so well and I just adore being with him. I love him so much."

Lee nodded. She almost wanted to cry. She felt the same about Jim and she wanted that back. She wanted her fiancé back and she needed him with her. The idea of raising a child on her own scared her.

"But whatever happens," Olivia said, wondering if she had said too much, "I will be here for you, Lee. You're not only dating my brother, but you're…well…my best friend. I see you as a sister more than anything ever since you've been around."

Lee blamed her hormones and her eyes widened and tears started to drop down her cheeks. Olivia moved to hold onto her. She hugged her, her grip tight and she placed her wine down onto the coffee table. Her grip was tight and Lee rested her head on her shoulder. Olivia let her cry on her, as she did most nights, comforting her through this entire ordeal.

…

"Hey."

Ed greeted Olivia once she had entered his apartment. He had changed into his pyjamas already after he had finished dinner. He had made a stir fry for dinner and it was simmering away, ready to be served for when Olivia came back from Lee's. He bent down, kissing her softly in greeting. Ever since her brother had gone to jail, he had been gentle with her. He had to admit that the passion had died slightly. The stage in their relationship where they couldn't keep their hands off each other had died out. But obviously Ed knew why. Olivia needed comfort, not passion. He could provide her with that too. He could give her everything.

"Hi," Olivia said and Ed helped remove her coat, hanging it up for her. She had her bag dropped on the floor and Ed locked the door behind her too. "Ed, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah," Ed said. "Of course, what is it?"

"I was talking to Lee," Olivia said to him and he walked her over to the dining table, pulling a chair out for her. He moved and dished up the stir fry as she continued talking to him. "She was saying about how she wants to leave Gotham when this is over. She doesn't want to stay here."

"Really?" Ed asked her, moving the plates onto the dining table. He took his seat beside Olivia, picking up his fork and digging into the noodles. "I suppose that would make sense…it would give her a fresh start."

"We're both hoping that Jim will be free and go with her. They can make a new life for themselves," Olivia said. "They can do that without being constantly talked about…even if Jim gets acquitted then people will still talk."

"That would be the best case scenario," Ed agreed.

Olivia didn't pick at her food. She was too focused on the conversation that they were holding. She had been thinking about on the drive over to Ed's and she needed the confidence to do it.

"Would you ever consider moving?" she blurted out, any form of subtlety gone from her. She just wanted to be straight and she wanted to be honest. "Ed, people are calling me all kinds of names in the staff room. I have parents calling the school wanting me to be removed. I just…I don't want it. I think that maybe moving away might be for the best…a fresh start…but I can't imagine doing it without you, Ed…I want us to be together."

"You…what are you saying?" Ed asked from her, slightly flummoxed.

"I'm saying that I want us to be together," she said to him. "I don't want to go back to my own apartment. I want us to find somewhere…in the future…away from Gotham."

"Wow," Ed said. He had not been prepared for this conversation to take place. He remained silent, doing his best to gather his thoughts. He nodded his head at her and put down his fork on the edge of his plate. "You want to move in together? Properly?"

"Yes," she said to him. "I do."

"And you want to move away from Gotham?"

"In the future," Olivia nodded her head. "I want to get away from this city. It has nothing but bad memories. If we are going to be together then I want to be somewhere safe."

"Okay," Ed said, digesting this information. It was a lot to take in. He nodded his head. "I don't want us to leave just yet."

"Of course not," Olivia agreed. "There's still loose ends and things we need to think about, but in the future…maybe?"

"Yes," Ed confirmed to her. "I can find work in any forensic department."

It would give him distance between Dougherty, Kringle and Pinkney too.

"In the meantime," Ed said, "you don't need to go back to your apartment. If you want to move in together then I want that too."

"You're sure?"

"Positive," Ed responded, voice confident. "I want you to live with me, Olivia. I want to move in together and be with you."

"Okay," Olivia said. Ed moved then, his hand going to rest on top of hers. He gave it a quick squeeze and picked it up, kissing the back of her hand tenderly. "Okay, we're really going to do this."

"We're going to do this," Ed echoed back in a promise to her. "This is the right thing, Liv. It just feels so right."

Olivia smiled at him and moved from her seat. She wasn't even hungry, despite Ed having cooked a delicious meal. She would warm it up later. Ed pulled out his chair and let her sit down on his lap. His arm wrapped around her waist and she bent down, kissing him slowly and almost sensually. Pulling back after a second, she draped both arms over his neck.

"You know, you've been great the past few weeks, Ed," Olivia said to him.

Ed shrugged. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"A lot of guys would have ran for the hills," she informed him. "But not you."

"Never," Ed whispered against her lips as he pecked them softly.

"I'm sorry if I've seemed distant…not here," Olivia said to him.

"Understandable," he said. "You're going through a lot and your mind is on your brother."

"But thank you for being here," she said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ed promised in a soft whisper, kissing her again and holding her to him, silently happy with the way things had turned out.

…

Jim had lost the trial. He had been found guilty by the jury and sentenced to forty years in jail. Olivia and Lee had clung onto each other as the verdict had been delivered, both of them completely uncertain on what it was they should do now. There had to be an appeal process. There had to be a way for them to fight this. Ed had sat by Olivia's side during the entire process, listening to Jim's defence and thinking about how flimsy it sounded. He had no evidence to support him. It sounded like a conspiracy theory. Ed had managed to get away with it. He had managed to get rid of Jim completely.

Olivia had insisted that they launch an appeal, but Jim had not been as keen. He knew the pain it would put Lee and Olivia under. He already knew what they were going through now. They had come to see him after the trial and had promised they would help, but he had dismissed them. He had told them to move on with their lives, but how was that possible?

Walking into Lee's apartment, Olivia frowned as she saw her packing boxes. Biting down on her tongue, she shook her head. The place was in disarray, boxes flung everywhere with newspaper hanging out of them.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked her.

"Leaving," Lee simply spoke, hands on her hips. "Jim has made it clear that he doesn't want to see me, not while he is in jail."

"And you're going to listen to him?" she asked from her.

"What else can I do?" Lee asked. "He has denied all of my visitation applications and the idea of waiting forty years for him is killing me. Perhaps he is right? Perhaps we need to move on?"

"I can't," Olivia said to her. "I can't abandon him."

"We didn't abandon him," Lee denied. "We did everything that we could for him and I don't know what more we can do, Olivia. He won't appeal the case…we don't know how to look into it…Harvey admits he is at a loose end. I don't know what else we can do."

Olivia hated to admit that she was right. Everything felt lost. Hope felt like it had gone. Jim had even refused to see Olivia, despite her persistent requests. Sitting down on the sofa in between two boxes, Olivia sighed, her red coat falling open and revealing the dark green dress she wore with thick black tights.

"I know," Olivia admitted to Lee. "I understand why you want to leave."

"I don't think I will be able to move on…not for a long time," Lee said to Olivia. "It is the last thing on my mind and I will write to Jim all of the time, but I don't want to be in Gotham. I want to give birth and raise our child away from this city."

Olivia understood that too. She sniffed as she did her best not to cry. She didn't want Lee to think that she had to worry about her. She would be fine. Olivia would see to it that she would look after herself. Lee moved a box and sat down next to Olivia.

"You know that you can visit me whenever you want," she said in a soft tone, hand going to rest on Olivia's arm. "You are always going to be this baby's aunt."

"I know," Olivia whispered in response. "It just feels strange, Lee."

Lee nodded. "I know," she agreed with her, "but I am always going to be here for you."

"Likewise," Olivia said and embraced her tightly.

…

Olivia felt a headache coming on as she returned to Ed's apartment. She held the keys in her hand once she had taken the elevator up to it. Wandering down the corridor, she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Closing it behind her, she dropped the keys onto the small table next to it and hung her coat up. Raking a hand through her hair, she moved through to find a glass. Filling it with water, she wondered if Ed had any headache tablets.

She pulled open the cupboard doors, looking for some kind of medicine. Moving through them, she found nothing before remembering that Ed had aspirin in his bedside table. He had told her he kept it there when she had asked him before. She went to it, pulling the drawer open and finding the box. She was about to close it when she noticed something peeking out from underneath his socks. She frowned, moving them out of the way.

"What the…" she trailed off, eyes widening as she pulled the glasses out of the drawer. They were the same glasses that she had found weeks ago. They were the same glasses that Ed was supposed to have returned to Kristen Kringle. So why were they still in his beside table?

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	31. Chapter 31

Ed almost felt himself descend into fear once he saw Olivia holding onto Kristen Kringle's glasses. She was perched on the edge of his bed, waiting for him. She had one leg folded over the other, the glasses balanced on the edge of her fingers. She looked to him once he had closed the door. She didn't even say anything. He remained silent, removing his coat and hanging it up. Now he had to think of something. He had managed to fob Olivia off for so long, but he had been foolish to keep the glasses. He had been foolish to think that they wouldn't be discovered, but he liked having them. He liked to be reminded of what he was capable of.

"Don't lie to me," was all that Olivia said to Ed. He remained stood by the coat rack, giving her space. "Ed, just don't lie to me."

"Okay," was all that Ed responded with initially. He tried to compose himself, gathering his thoughts. He nodded his head once and cautiously went to sit down next to her, leaving a small gap between them. He needed to give her space. "Kristen is dead."

He spoke the words so simply. There was no emotion there. There was nothing there but fact. He had been devastated when he had done it. He had considered handing himself in, but then he had changed. He had realised that he had nothing to be fearful of.

"I see," Olivia said, hoping that there was more to this. She had been sat there for over an hour, wondering what Ed was going to say to her. She had thought up numerous scenarios in her head, but they all ended the same way. They all ended with her thinking the worst of Ed.

"She came over to collect her things," Ed began the tale. He was not going to lie to her. She was going to know the truth about what he had done to Kristen. Her reaction would influence what he did next. He had some ideas in his mind. "She began talking about you…saying things about you that weren't true. She told me how I never cared for her like you did you…how it would always be you I pined for. I told her that I did care. I wanted to make her feel better. I didn't want her to be angry and I…I let slip about Dougherty."

Olivia looked aghast at that. She turned to face Ed, tossing the glasses onto the bed beside her. She kept her hands by her sides, palms flat on the mattress. Ed pushed his glasses further onto his nose and he shrugged his shoulders.

"How could you tell her about Dougherty?" she demanded from him.

"I didn't mean to," Ed promised her. "I just said that he would not bother her again. I wanted her to be safe, honestly I did."

"Jesus Christ," Olivia whispered, running a hand down her face.

"I didn't think she would react how she did. I thought that she would be grateful that he wouldn't come back and hurt her," Ed continued, trying to convince Olivia to see the truth. He needed her to understand why he had done it. He had done it for them. "She didn't see it that way and she kept on taunting me…telling me how I wouldn't be with you…how I wouldn't be able to have my happy ever after and how a freak like me never deserved that."

Olivia remained silent, listening to Ed and trying to weigh up the gravity of the situation.

"She kept on saying how she wondered if you knew," Ed continued and Olivia's eyes widened. "She wondered if you knew and she…she kept on going…I tried to get her to stop. I begged her to keep quiet. All I wanted was for you and me to be together and be happy, but she wouldn't stop. She said how she would go to Jim. She wanted him to be the one to arrest you and I couldn't let her do that. I held her tightly against the door and begged her to reconsider…I didn't realise my hand was so tight around her throat."

Ed finished, knowing that Olivia could finish off the story. She wasn't foolish. Ed had tried to show enough regret on his face and in his voice. He did regret killing Kristen at the time, but ever since then he had not missed her. He had no regret because he had done what had been necessary. He had had to kill her. He had to do it.

"Where is she now?"

"Buried in the woods," Ed admitted.

"And you didn't tell me," Olivia concluded.

"I had already burdened you enough," Ed said, "I couldn't add more to your plate. You didn't deserve it."

"I don't want to think about this," Olivia said in a soft whisper, moving to her feet. She pushed a hand through her hair and felt sick. Kristen Kringle was dead. Ed had killed her. He had killed her to keep her quiet. "Why didn't you just let her go to the police? Better yet, why just not tell her?"

"I didn't mean for any of that to happen," Ed said, jumping to his feet and watching her pace up and down. "It was an accident, Olivia. I was trying to protect us…protect you…"

"No," Olivia snapped at him, pointing at him. "Do not say that you were trying to protect me!"

"I was!" Ed snapped back loudly, trying not to lose his temper. He didn't want to yell at her. He wanted to be calm, but he was struggling. He just needed her to come around to his way of thinking. "Olivia, I did this to keep you from jail. You know about Dougherty. Do you think that anyone would believe you didn't if Kristen started talking? I couldn't stand the thought of you even having to go through anything like a trial or worse…I love you. She was threatening to destroy us right after we had just gotten together."

Olivia continued pacing, stomach churning. She shook her head. Ed was right. Olivia had known what had happened. Kristen would have ruined everything. She would have destroyed everything.

"Why did you tell her?" was all that Olivia could ask from him. She sunk down onto the end of the bed and buried her head in her hands. She closed her eyes and tried to comprehend the mess that they were in. "Why did you have to tell her?" she repeated again.

"I am sorry for putting you in this position," Ed continued, gathering himself and trying to remain calm. He knew that it would be easier to keep Olivia on side than to push her away and anger her. He would do what was necessary. "I wanted to keep it from you."

"We promised not to lie to each other," Olivia reminded him.

"I know," he agreed with that statement. "And I told you about Dougherty because I wanted us to be honest, but I…I didn't want to burden you any further. I couldn't do that to you, Olivia."

"But you kept lying to me about her," Olivia said. "You kept telling me that she was fine when you knew what had happened."

"Because I was worried," Ed said to her. "I was worried that you would leave me…tell the police…tell your brother. What good would that do, Olivia? You were better off not knowing. You were better off not having any of that guilt on your shoulders."

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to blame him for what he had done. She managed to look at him, finally meeting his gaze. All she saw was longing. He longed for her to believe him. He longed for her to see that he had done this and was full of regret. She didn't see a cold-blooded killer when she looked at Ed. She saw the Ed she knew. She saw the man who had been so kind to her. He couldn't harm anyone, not really.

"I just wanted her to be quiet," Ed finally concluded, shrugging his shoulders. "I wanted to protect her from Dougherty…I wanted her to see that…but then I had to protect you from her."

"I don't even know what to say," Olivia admitted to him. She was at a loss for words. She had so many thoughts going on in her mind about what she should do. The right to do would be to go to the police. It would be to turn themselves in an explain everything. But then she remembered Jim. He had killed Galavan. He had covered it up because he had been scared.

"I only want you, Olivia," Ed said to her. "All I wanted was for us to be together and be happy, like we have been. I didn't want Kristen to ruin that, but I never meant to kill her. I just needed her to understand."

"We should have been honest," was all that Olivia could say to Ed. "We should have been in honest in the first place because it has to be better than this…and maybe Kristen would still be alive."

"But it is too late," Ed said to her.

"It is too late," Olivia echoed back in confirmation to him. She nodded her head, agreeing with that sentiment. She did her best not to think too negatively, but it was difficult. She was finding it all too difficult. "But that doesn't make any of this right."

"What…what do you want to do?" Ed asked from her.

"I don't know," she admitted. She knew what the right thing was. She knew what she should do, but when she looked to Ed, she wondered if she had the guts to do it. She always thought that she knew the difference between right and wrong. She had prided herself on having morals, but they had slowly slipped away. She hid Jim's secrets. She hid Ed's secrets.

"Kristen is dead," Ed stated as a matter of fact. "It was an accident and I regret it, but going to jail…that won't bring her back."

"Don't use that as an excuse," Olivia demanded from him. "Just don't use that as an excuse, Ed."

"Please," Ed spoke to her, voice low. "I never wanted you to find out. I wanted to protect you."

"I don't doubt that," Olivia said. "This isn't right, Ed."

"What is right, Olivia?" Ed wondered back. "We both go down for accidents…we spend years in a cell. Would that make us feel any better than we feel now?"

"I just don't know how we can move on from this," Olivia said, voice hoarse. "How can we go back to how we were? How can we ever be together and forget about what happened?"

Ed reached his hand out towards her, grabbing hold of her hands. He scrambled to kneel in front of her, looking her in the eye as he saw tears form there. She tried to keep herself composed, but she was failing miserably.

"Because I love you," Ed said to her. "I love you and I don't want this to ruin us, Olivia. We can feel guilt while sat in a cell or…or we can try to move through this together. We can try to work through it because we belong together."

Olivia knew that he was right. Kristen was dead. Ed had killed her. It had been an accident. They could go to jail and spend time in a cell, but it wouldn't bring her back. Perhaps it might ease some of the guilt to know that they had done the right thing? But Olivia didn't know if that would be the case.

"Just tell me you love me," Ed whispered, a hand going to her cheek and guiding her to look at him. Her eyes met his and he continued to examine her, wondering what she was thinking.

"Of course I love you," she said.

"Then we can make it through this," Ed promised her. "We can do this, Olivia."

"How can you sound so sure?"

"Because this is us," Ed said. "How much have we dealt with, Olivia? How much have we overcome to be together?"

Olivia suspected that he had a point. Nodding her head, she gulped. She had made a decision about her brother to protect him just as she had protected Ed. She couldn't stop protecting Ed, not now.

"I need time," Olivia said to him. "Just give me to time to work this out in my head."

She stood up and moved into the bathroom. Ed let her go by. He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back, hands going to cover his eyes. He let out a long sigh before turning his head to the side and looking at Kristen's glasses, his lips quirking. He would have Olivia on his side before he knew it.

…

Harvey and Olivia sat in the courtyard of the jail. Olivia had been reluctant to sit down on the metal bench, but she did so after Harvey had done it. She had found out that Harvey was going to visit Jim and she had pleaded with him to let her come. He had agreed, knowing that the news she had for Jim would be better off coming from her than from him. Lee had called her over a week ago to tell her that she had lost their baby. Olivia had gone out to see her for a few days, consoling her and looking after her. Lee had insisted that she would be fine, but she didn't know how to tell Jim in a letter.

"Looking good, brother," Harvey said to Jim as he walked into the yard.

Olivia saw him frown at the sight of her. She and Harvey both stood up. Pointing to Harvey, Jim glared at his friend.

"You brought her here?"

"Considering you've refused to grant me visitation I had to get creative," Olivia said to her brother. "You can't keep refusing me visitation, Jim. I'm your sister."

Harvey slapped Jim on the shoulder before Olivia moved over to him. Flinging her arms around his neck, she gripped tightly onto him. Placing his arms around her waist, he rested his chin on the top of her head, keeping her in his grip for a few moments. He had missed this. He had missed having someone tell him that they still cared for him in person.

"I miss you," Olivia said to her brother.

Pulling back, she noted his prison number on his blue shirt tucked into dark trousers.

"I miss you too," Jim said, kissing the top of her head. "So what brings you two here?"

"I had to see how you were doing," Harvey said to him. "I heard you're in gen pop now. I'm trying to get Dent to reopen the case and I'm looking into finding Penguin. Someone has to know where he is. If we find that weasel then we make him speak."

"Right," Jim said, sitting down as the two of them did the same across from him. "Good to hear that someone's still looking into my case…and how's Lee?"

Olivia could feel Harvey looking at her. He wanted her to be the one to do this and she nodded. She reached a hand out to hold onto Jim's. Jim looked at her, knowing that she had bad news. The forlorn look on her face told him that. But she also looked different. Jim swore she had lost weight.

"Lee…Jim…she phoned me the other week and told me that she had had a miscarriage," Olivia said, realising there was no easy way to tell him. "She lost the baby, Jim."

Her brother's hand slipped from hers then and he stood up. Olivia moved to her feet too as Jim backed away from both of them. His face had fallen and Olivia could almost feel her own heart break for him. He began to move back to the door as she called after him.

"Jim!" she begged with him to come back.

"Leave him," Harvey urged from her, grabbing hold of her wrist and stopping her from going after Jim. "He needs time. He needs to process this."

"He shouldn't be in here, Harvey."

"I know," Harvey agreed with her. "Jim might not be completely innocent, but he isn't a bad man…then again, who is entirely innocent?"

Olivia nodded. "No one," she said in a whisper.

….

Olivia had been struck down by the flu the following week. She was exhausted and constantly feeling the need to be sick whenever she ate something. She couldn't keep food down and hadn't even gone back to work in weeks. Harvey had intended to tell her what he was going to do, but he knew that it was best to keep her in the dark. Jim wouldn't want her to be a part of what he was going to do. His intention was to bust Jim out of jail. Olivia would support him if she knew, but Harvey also worried that she would tell Ed.

"You need to try to eat something," Ed informed her.

She was still staying at his apartment considering that she had moved out of her own and had nowhere else to go. She was still on leave from work and it had been over three months since Jim had been sent to jail.

"I'm not hungry," Olivia said.

She was sat up in bed, the duvet pooled at her lap. She was sweating and her hair clung to her cheeks. She pushed it back, tucking it behind her shoulders. She looked to Ed as he finished making her a cup of green tea. Walking over to the bed, he perched on the side of it, placing the cup on the bedside table. He moved the back of his hand over her forehead.

"You still feel warm," he commented and moved a hand down her hair. "But you need to try to eat something. Is there anything you might want to consider eating?"

"No," Olivia responded.

"Well, in that case I will make you something easy to eat…soup might be good," Ed said to her.

"Ed, it is fine," she promised him.

She had spent weeks thinking about Ed's secret. She hadn't told anyone. Instead she had kept it to herself. She felt like a hypocrite too. How could she complain that he had kept a secret when she also had her own secrets? She was keeping Jim's secret from Ed. But she had convinced herself that was different. The weeks had been tense, but Ed had given Olivia space. He had given her the space she needed and the time she wanted.

She had seen Jim in jail and she doubted that she could even consider handing Ed in. She didn't want him to spend his days in a cell like Jim. So that meant there was only one thing to do. She would keep the secret. She was already so deep into all of this that there was no escaping now.

"I just want to look after you," Ed said to her.

"I know," she said. "I know."

There was a silence between them. Olivia let it linger for a few moments before she reached out. Taking hold of Ed's hand inside of her own, she let her eyes wander down to the entwined limbs. Ed remained silent, realising that this was the first time in months she had initiated contact between them.

"I don't want it to be like this," she admitted to Ed. "But I realise that I can't…we can't be together, Ed. We don't deserve to be happy, not after the lies we have told…but I can't tell the truth. I can't stand the thought of sending you to jail."

"No," Ed said quickly, shaking his head. "Olivia, you do not mean this."

"I do," she responded. "I am being serious, Ed. I cannot be with you and be happy when I know the truth. Dougherty…I accepted that you wanted to protect Kristen, but killing Kristen so that we can be happy just feels dirty. It feels so wrong."

Ed gripped tightly onto her hand then. "No," Ed said firmly. "Olivia, why deny your own happiness…our happiness?"

"Because we don't deserve it!" Olivia snapped.

"So what?" Ed asked from her. "We end this? We end what we have and we both just be miserable? Olivia, I don't want to move on from you. I don't want any of that."

"Neither do I," she admitted, "but how can we really be together?"

"Because we love each other," Ed hissed. "That has to be enough."

"And if it isn't?" she asked him. "If we can't move on from this?"

"We will," he said confidently.

"But how can we?"

"No," Ed said forcefully. "Olivia, I can't accept that."

"It isn't a question of what is acceptable," she responded. "I'm serious, Ed. It's all I've thought about and it is killing me to do this because I love you. I love you so much."

"Then just let us move on," Ed urged from her.

Olivia shook her head. "It isn't that simple," she said. "I've thought about it, Ed, and that's my decision."

Ed saw her begin to cry then. She moved from his bed. Standing up, she reached for the drawer she kept her clothes in. She pulled her suitcase out from underneath his bed. He watched her and shook his head. He wouldn't let her do this. He had done everything for her. Moving to his feet, Ed felt his anger grow inside of him.

"Everything I have done," he began in a low drawl, voice slightly dark, "has been for us, Olivia. It has been for us…so that we can be together. And now you stand there and you tell me that you're leaving me?"

Olivia looked over to him as he moved towards her. He took hold of her wrists and stopped her from packing her things. She straightened up and tried to pull free from him, but his grip was too tight. She frowned and looked him in the eye. "Ed, let go of me."

"I don't think so," Ed responded, voice gruff. "I love you, Olivia. I love you too much to let you go and ruin what we have…and you will see that. You will see that I am right in time."

"Ed…what…" Olivia struggled to get the words out.

She felt him take hold of her wrist with one hand and pull her around in the apartment. She wondered what he was doing as he opened up the cupboard in the corner where he kept his cleaning supplies. She tried to pull free from him, consistently urging him to let her go. She let her eyes widen as she saw him pull out a piece of rope from a holdall.

"Ed, what the hell are you doing?" she demanded from him.

"I didn't want to do this," Ed said to her, "but I can't let you go, Olivia. You'll see…I promise that you'll see."

"Ed!" Olivia shrieked his name as she fought him with as much might as she could. She managed to slap at his hands until she was free from his grip. She ran as fast as she could towards the door, wondering exactly what was going on. This was not Ed. This was not her Ed. "What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me?" Ed demanded from her, catching up with her, arm going around her waist as he hauled her over to the bed again. "How can you even ask me that?"

"Because normal boyfriends do not try to tie their girlfriends up when they are leaving them!" she snapped loudly at him.

Ed managed to drop her onto the mattress. Straddling her, he kept his weight on top of her as she lay beneath him. He reached for her wrists, managing to bring them together as she tried to buck him off of her. She failed to stop him from tying her wrists together before hooking the rope through the headboard, securing her there. Olivia began to cry loudly, shaking her head.

"No," she said firmly, "Ed…please…this is what he did to me…he did this to me…"

"I am nothing like him," Ed said to her, hands moving to hold her cheeks. "Olivia, I am nothing like the Ogre, you know that. I am doing this to make you understand that we can be together…that you can't leave me…"

"No," Olivia continued, unable to comprehend how this had happened. Why was he doing this? Why would he do this to her? "Ed…no…you know that I would never tell anyone-"

"-It isn't about that," Ed interrupted her. "I know that you would never tell anyone. You love me and care too much, but I can't let you go…I love you."

"So you're going to keep me tied to your bed until I give in?" she demanded. "Ed, that isn't love."

"Olivia, please, you will see," he said to her. "You will see that we can work through this, but I can't let you leave. You need to be here to understand."

Olivia said nothing, trying to struggle free from the restraints. She failed miserable as Ed moved from her. He pulled the shirt she wore down her body so that it came to her mid thigh. He pulled the duvet up her body and sat back down on the edge of the bed, hand resting on her neck as he bent down closer to her.

"I am going to make everything alright," Ed said to her, kissing her on the forehead. "But first, you need something to eat."

Olivia wanted to cry at everything that had happened. Why was he doing this? Why did he not understand? Why did she have to find the glasses? She had been happy living in ignorant bliss. She had been thrilled to live completely ignorantly, but now this had happened. How could he tie her to his bed? How could he do this? Olivia watched him wander around the kitchen. She tried to gather her thoughts, knowing that she had to get out somehow. He couldn't keep her tied to the bed forever.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	32. Chapter 32

Olivia knew that she had to take things steady with Ed. She didn't know what was going on in his mind, but he seemed to be completely beside himself. She decided that he had only acted as he had done out of fear. He was scared of losing her. Of course, this entire response was completely disproportionate and she would make him see that. She knew that he had to know that Jim would come looking for her eventually. Jim had escaped from jail and Olivia wondered how he had done it. She had no idea, but she suspected that Bullock was involved. Ed had gone to work and left Olivia in bed, still unable to move. Her flu was getting even worse combined with her stress levels.

"We need to talk," Olivia said to Ed once he came back from work and hung his coat up and dropped his bag. He nodded his head. She was sat up awkwardly, her legs crossed underneath her and her hands behind her back against the headboard. "Please."

"I know," Ed agreed with her. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed his glasses further onto his nose. "I know that it might seem that I overreacted last night."

"Yeah," Olivia said to him, knowing that she had to play this right. She wasn't scared of Ed, but she wanted to get away from him. "I get why you did this, Ed. It was an overreaction on your part, but I get it. You love me and you didn't want me to leave you."

"Exactly," Ed said to her, almost sounding hopeful that she wasn't going to leave him, almost like he expected her to change her mind. "I was scared, Liv. I just wanted you to stay…to realise that we can be together."

"I know that," she promised him. "I completely understand that, Ed, but do you think that this is the right way to go about it? Do you think that you can keep me tied to your bed until…what? I accept that we will be together?"

Ed remained silent then, looking down onto the mattress. Olivia continued speaking, her voice low.

"I love you, Ed," she promised him. "I love you and I would never tell the police what you did because I know that it was an accident and…well…Lee forgave my brother for some pretty horrible stuff and perhaps I will be able to move on. Perhaps we will both be able to move on from this, but this is not the right way to go about."

Ed looked to her then, hands holding the duvet in his fingertips beneath him. His gaze turned onto her and he let out a breath he had been holding in. "So you're saying there is a chance?"

"Yes," she said, not really sure if she believed herself. But perhaps there was a chance? She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed time to think things through. "But not in Gotham, Ed. I want a fresh start away from here and maybe you're right…maybe we do deserve to be happy and move on together. But I honestly think we can only do that away from Gotham."

"Okay," Ed said, nodding his head and letting out a light laugh. "We can do that, Liv. That sounds like what we need."

"Okay," Olivia said to him, nodding her head. "But can you please untie me? I need to use the bathroom and have a shower. I feel really warm."

Ed looked at her with hesitation. She recognised that look. He didn't trust her completely. He didn't know if she was going to bolt as soon as she was free. Olivia realised that this could be the long game. She had to persuade him to let her go and trust her. That would be the best way. She had told him what he wanted to hear, but there was something going on that worried her. She almost wanted to believe it herself. But how could they come back from this?

"Ed, please," Olivia begged him, voice earnest, "I'm ill and I just want to freshen up. Can't I shower and we can then just sit and watch TV? See if there has been any news about my brother?"

"Okay," Ed agreed with her.

He knew if she tried to run then he could catch her. She was too sick to do anything anyway. Besides, she was right. He had to trust her. He couldn't keep her here the entire time, despite how much he wanted to. He moved and untied her from the bedpost, letting the rope fall down the back of the bed. She smiled at Ed and ran a hand down his cheek. "I'm going to shower," she said. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Take your time," Ed said to her and he watched her move into the bathroom.

Burying his face into his hands, Ed let out a shaky breath. He felt an anger rise up inside of him as the voice inside of his head returned.

" _She's played you, you idiot. She's got no intention of staying with you. You should have kept her tied up."_

"That isn't the way to do it," Ed said in a low voice, shaking his head back and forth. "She will come around. I panicked last night…got angry…"

" _And her brother? We both know Jim is on the loose. What if he finds out you set him up_."

"That will never happen," Ed snapped to himself and stood up, moving into the kitchen and pouring a glass of water as he heard the shower begin to run.

Downing the glass, Ed heard a knock on the door and frowned. Who could be bothering him at this time? Moving over, he opened the door and almost jumped back. Jim Gordon. Ed recoiled as Jim held his hands up in defence.

"I need your help, Ed," he said to him. "I need your help with Olivia."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said to Jim, letting him in. He couldn't know anything. He had to be completely unaware of what Ed had done. Closing the door behind Jim, Ed walked further into his apartment. "Olivia is just showering. She hasn't been feeling very well."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Flu," Ed answered.

"Okay," Jim said. "Listen, Ed, there was a recording from IA of the guy who grassed me up over Galavan. I have it here and I need you to look into it."

Ed folded his arms over his chest and nodded. "What did he say?" he wondered from Jim.

"Not much," Jim admitted. "He disguised his voice, but there are some other sounds on the tape that might help us out."

"Of course," Ed said. "You've come to the right place, Jim. Take a seat and I will make some tea before we begin. You must be parched."

Ed directed him to sit down in the seat he needed him on. He went to put the kettle on the stove while Jim remained seated. Jim kept his ears alert and waited for the bathroom door to open. He had to make sure that his sister was safe if his suspicions turned out to be correct. He heard the bathroom door open as Ed sought his equipment to listen to the tape. Olivia walked back into the main part of the apartment and saw her brother sat there. She had changed into her plaid pyjamas, her hair in a ponytail on the top of her head.

"Jim!" she shouted in excitement.

Jim stood up and met her near the door, reaching for her as she flung her arms around his neck. Burying her face against his skin, she closed her eyes and Ed watched the scene unfold, trying to remain calm. He had to get through this somehow.

"I need you to get out of here," Jim whispered into his sister's ear, not bothering with pleasantries. "Liv, please just get out of here when I say so."

Pulling back, Jim moved his hand to cup his sister's cheek as he kissed her on the forehead. He didn't want to give it away too soon. Olivia felt cold all of a sudden, her fever forgotten as her eyes met Jim's. Did he know what had happened? Olivia made sure her bruised wrists were kept under the cuff of her pyjama top, hidden from view.

"I was saying to Ed that there is a recording from IA of the guy who called them about Galavan," Jim said to his sister and she nodded. "I think the same guy set me up for Pinkney's murder. I need Ed to listen to the recording…I think there is a bird noise in it."

"Right," Olivia said, nodding. "Well if this can clear your name then so be it."

She moved over to the stove where Ed was stood and moved a hand down his arm. "You go and set up," she urged him. "I can make the tea."

"Okay," he agreed, moving to sit down across from Jim while Olivia focused on making the mugs of tea. She kept her gaze out of the kitchen window, doing her best not to feel disillusioned with everything. She tried to keep her breathing steady while Jim and Ed made conversation. Ed listened to the recording, holding one of the headphones to his ear. Olivia left the water to boil and moved over to the table.

"Anything?" she wondered, hands on Jim's shoulders as she stood behind him.

"Afraid it's a dead end," Ed said to both of them. "There is no denying that he has tried to mask his voice, but the audio is too poor. There does seem to be the noise of a bird, but I appreciate that is not a lot to go on."

"You tried, Ed," Jim said and pinched his nose.

"So, the person who killed Pinkney and framed you is the same guy who did the heist at the art museum and planted the bomb in the train station?" Ed checked with Jim. "Amazing. And you don't have any leads?"

"None yet," Jim said to him.

"Hmm," Ed hummed and moved to his feet. "Olivia, you sit down. You're looking ill. I will make the tea."

Olivia let Ed brush by her, his hand running over his shoulder as he walked past. Olivia sat down in the seat he had vacated, shooting Jim an inquisitive stare. He shook his head once, urging for her to keep quiet. She wanted to know exactly what was going on, but Jim seemed to be keeping it from her. Looking at her, he saw that she was ill. She was sicker than he had thought. Would she be able to get away from Ed quick enough?

"I think Loeb could have been behind it," Jim said, "but it isn't a lead. We think that it had to be someone who was a cop or had access."

"But you don't think that Loeb killed Pinkney himself?"

"No," Jim responded. "He would have had some psychopath do it."

"Psychopath seems like a strong word," Ed commented.

Olivia's spine stiffened then at Ed's tone. What was he saying? Olivia watched him as he turned to look at the siblings.

"He bludgeoned a man to death with a crowbar in cold blood," Jim commented. "He is sick, Ed."

"You say that, but you have killed people."

"In the line of duty."

"And a person who kills in cold blood has to be a psychopath?" Ed checked, wagging his finger and Olivia moved from her seat. She felt Jim take hold of her wrist, urging for her not to move any further as Ed continued speaking. "See, I knew the rumours weren't true."

"What rumours?" Jim asked, moving and standing in front of his sister.

"Well, I already didn't think you killed Galavan, but that proves it. If you did kill him then it would make you sick…diseased…like the people you hunt," Ed said as the kettle began to steam. "And there she blows."

Jim cautiously began walking forwards towards Ed. "Did Penguin ever tell you anything about that night?"

"Hmm?" Ed asked, his back to them both. "Oh no, I nipped that friendship in the bud. I didn't talk to him after then. Let's listen to the tape again, shall we? We might find something."

Ed finished pouring the tea. Olivia stood back as he walked to the table, placing the cups down on the surface. Moving to her, Ed knew that Jim knew. He knew exactly what was happening. Ed began to play the tape as he kept hold of her hand. The voice began to speak as he fussed around her, hands going to her cheeks.

"You look pale," he said.

"I'm fine," she promised, her voice dry. Ed clearly was not content with that and he tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Come on…sit down," he urged from her.

She sat back down in his seat as Jim sat across from her. He kept hold of her shoulders, his grip tight to make sure she could not move. Jim bit down on his tongue as Ed kept his hands on his sister. He had to get her out of there sooner rather than later. They listened to the tape with interest, the voice was muffled, but then there was the noise of the bird again. It sounded like a cuckoo clock. Jim stopped the tape.

"That wasn't a bird…it was mechanical."

"A cuckoo clock," Olivia answered, stiffening as Ed continued to keep her in her place. She looked up to him and he glanced back to her, a smirk on his face and she tried to stand up. She scrambled from the chair as Ed wrapped an arm around her waist, stopping her from leaving. He kept his arm securely around her. Her back pressed to his front.

"I know it was you, Ed," Jim said, pulling out his gun. "Let her go now."

"Me?" Ed asked from Jim as the said clock began to chime. Ed chuckled and Olivia felt sick. "Guess what? I knew that you knew, that I knew," Ed told him and suddenly Jim fell off his chair, sparks flying from the chair. Olivia shrieked as Jim dropped his gun to the ground. "That's why your chair is wired to the mains."

"What have you done?" Olivia roared at him, trying to fight him off of her. "You've killed him!"

"I did no such thing," Ed said, promising her in a soft tone.

He managed to wrestle her back to the bed, reaching for the rope he had dropped. He grabbed hold of it as she slapped at him and tried to buck him off of her one more time. Ed was more powerful than she had thought, his hands once again tying her wrists to the bed post. She managed to kick him in between his legs as he stood up. He doubled over in pain and Olivia tried to wriggle free from the ropes.

"That wasn't very nice," Ed said in a snarl. "You see, we were going to be okay, Liv. If we could have ran away together then we would have been fine. We'd have made it through all of this."

"You set my brother up!" she yelled at him.

"And I regret that you had to find out," Ed said to her, searching for the sleeping powder he had bought. He fished it from his drawer and went over to pour a glass of water. Olivia kept trying to free herself. "If you didn't know then Jim would still be in a cell and we would have been free to leave…start a new life…we still can, of course, once I have disposed of your brother."

"Are you deluded?" Olivia demanded from him. "Christ, I almost thought about forgiving you earlier on, but now there is no hope. Do you understand me?"

"You're angry and upset," Ed said and poured the powder in, stirring it with a spoon. "You will soon see past all of that. I will make sure of it."

"You're crazy," she whispered, shaking her head.

"No," he said, "just in love."

Moving back to her, he held the glass to her mouth, but she moved her head around, refusing to let that come near her. Ed grew tired, grabbing hold of her hair and keeping her in place. He forced the glass to her lips and tipped her head back before pinching her nose and forcing her to open her mouth and drink.

"There we go," Ed said. "Now swallow it."

Olivia had no choice but to swallow as he continued making her struggle for breath. She let out a gasp of breath and Ed moved around the apartment and back to Jim.

"No," Olivia protested, "Ed, please, leave him alone…just leave him…"

"I wish I could," Ed said earnestly, grabbing Jim by his ankles and dragging him through the room. "I will deal with this and then be back."

"Ed, that's my brother," Olivia said forcefully. "Just leave him…let us go…"

"You'll see that this is the right thing to do, Liv," Ed promised her. "I swear to you that I will deal with this and then I will be back. The sleeping powder should kick in soon. Just rest."

Olivia could only protest as Ed dragged her brother from the apartment and she felt herself become drowsy, wondering how they had gotten into this mess in the first place.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	33. Chapter 33

Jim had no idea what had happened. One minute he had been sat down on the chair and the next he was being dragged out of Ed's apartment by his feet. He had gained consciousness while Ed had been pulling him, but he had kept quiet, biding his time until he could escape from the forensic scientist who was murmuring to himself. Jim listened out for any sound from his sister, but he couldn't hear her. What had Ed done to her? Was she safe? Jim had to get back there and find her. He had to go back and get her. She needed him. Jim felt Ed let go of his feet after a few moments and he made his move.

Launching upwards, he saw that Ed was fiddling with the trunk of his car, trying to get it open. Running as fast as he could to the nearest building, Jim saw that the window was wide open. Launching himself onto the bin that sat beneath it, he hauled himself upwards, but he heard Ed close on his tail.

"Jim!" Ed shouted his name loudly.

Jim didn't listen, but he did hear the bang from the gun echo through the air. He had hoped that the bullet had missed, but Jim felt it pierce his leg. He groaned in pain and tumbled into the building. Gathering his breath, he moved through it, hiding around the corner and trying to be still. He just had to be quiet enough to hide from Ed. Peering down onto the blood, he gritted his teeth through the pain. Leaning against the wall, he kept silent before hearing Ed's voice inside the building.

"You're probably wondering why I set you up, Jim," Ed called out, trying to lure him out of hiding. "You're probably thinking 'gee, why did Ed do this? I thought we were friends?' And we were, Jimbo. We were friends until you started snooping in my business…and I couldn't have you doing that…because it would have ruined what I have with your sister."

Jim tried not to snap at the mention of his sister. He knew that he had to move soon enough. Ed would find him and there were only so many places he could hide. For the time being, Ed's voice sounded quite far away, giving Jim a chance to run and get away from him.

"I'll give you a clue, Jim…K.K."

Jim's brows knitted together. "Kristen Kringle," he whispered before running, knowing that Ed would have heard him. He took off through the building, trying to keep his breath quiet as Ed chased after him.

"I won't let you ruin what I have with Olivia!" he shouted. "She is mine, Jim! She will always be mine!"

Jim said nothing in response, choosing to keep quiet as he found a door. Launching himself out of it, he closed it after a second and came to a main street. It was filled with people and he knew that he could blend in. He had to go somewhere for help, but he had to go somewhere discreet. He couldn't let anyone turn him over to the police. But he had to get bandaged up. He needed to bandage himself up or else he was going to collapse and then he would be no use to Olivia. He would find help and then go back for her. It was his only option.

…

Ed made sure that Olivia slept when he went to work the following day. He knew that Jim had not been found, but there was no chance that he would be getting into Ed's apartment, not when he had shot him in the leg. There was also no option of Jim calling the police. He knew far too much and was not going to throw that knowledge away by calling the cops on himself. There might be a chance that he would ask Harvey for help. Ed had watched him intently that day, wondering what he knew.

But then Selina Kyle had strolled into the precinct. She had shouted loudly about how she had information on where Jim Gordon was. That caught everyone's attention, of course. Ed wasn't immune to it. He had stood to the side, holding onto his folder when Selina had said something about knowing where the body was buried. Jim knew where the body was buried. But how would Jim know? How would he know where Kristen was buried? Penguin wouldn't have told him. Ed was certain on that…or was he? But then Gordon was looking for Penguin. What if he did find him and he cracked?

Ed couldn't risk that. He made his excuses that he had to leave work early that day. He had to move the body and he had to leave. He had to get out of Gotham. Driving home, Ed did well not to break the speed limits in place. He kept his focus on getting back home and to Olivia. She was already awake when he walked in, still chained to the headboard. She was sat up, her legs curled underneath herself as she tried to pull the handcuffs free.

"I have the key," was all that Ed said to her before reaching under the bed and grabbing his suitcase from it. "I wouldn't bother tugging on them, Liv. You will just hurt your wrist."

"Screw you," was all she responded with.

Ed looked at her then, taking a deep breath, teeth bared. He dropped his hands to his hips as she tossed her hair behind her shoulders and glowered at him. "My, my, someone's getting brave," he spoke in a dark voice before chuckling.

"Ed, you set my brother," Olivia sniped at him. "You set my brother up and he did weeks…months…in a jail cell because of you. If you think that you can keep me here…stop Jim from coming for you…then you're an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot," he snapped at her. "I was never an idiot, my love. I have this planned. We are doing what you always wanted to do. We are getting out of here, Olivia. We are leaving Gotham and we are going to start a new life."

Olivia frowned then, sitting on her knees and looking at him. "Are you sure you're not an idiot?" she demanded from him. "Did you hear what I just said? I am going nowhere with you, Ed. I hate you."

Ed moved towards her then, bending down and grabbing hold of her chin in his hand. His grip on her was tight, almost bruising. She didn't complain, instead she glared at him as he refused to let her go. "There is a very fine line between love and hate," he informed her. "Some even believe that the line is indistinguishable. Perhaps we will work that out together, hmm?"

Olivia gathered up the courage she had and forced herself to use her free hand to push him from her. He shifted backwards and her hand made contact with his cheek. Slapping him as hard as she could, the noise echoed through the room and his glasses fell askew. He turned his head to the side and caressed his cheek, feeling it sting. But he didn't complain. Instead he laughed and turned back to her. He grabbed at her once more, hand curling around her chin as his lips pressed to hers and she tried to recoil. Ed pulled back and stood up straight, pointing his finger at her.

"I always wondered if there was something else inside of you," Ed told her. "Sweet, little, Olivia…you know, he always liked you meek and mild. Sometimes I didn't mind you like that, but I suspected there was a darkness inside of you. Turns out I might be right."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Olivia demanded as he placed the suitcase on the bed and began raiding drawers, pulling out random clothes and stuffing them into it as he spoke.

"You didn't honestly think that sweet, caring Ed was the one pleasuring you all these nights, did you?" he asked from her. "Did you never wonder why he went from being shy one moment to dominating the next?"

Olivia frowned. "What…so you're not…you think you're two different people?"

"No," Ed responded with a shake of his head. "Well," he stood still and then cocked his brow, "perhaps to an extent. Ed's always been like this…he just needed a little push for him to see that this was right. I'm still me, Liv. I am just a better and more enhanced version of myself."

Olivia had to admit that she was confused. What was he talking about? She didn't even bother to ask, knowing that she had other, more important matters to deal with, namely getting away from him.

"So what is this grand plan?" Olivia demanded from Ed. "How do you think you are going to kidnap me? Do you think I am going to come willingly?"

"Not initially," Ed said with an understanding nod and he reached for her clothes, tossing them on top of his. "However, you will soon come around when you realise that we are meant to be together, Liv. We'll be fine in the long run…perhaps you might even shock me with what is really inside of you?"

"Doubt it," Olivia scoffed.

Ed pulled out her underwear and Olivia rolled her eyes, noting that he was only taking the fancy and most uncomfortable sets. She chewed down on her tongue as Ed reached for the gun he had hidden in his jacket pocket. Pulling it out, Olivia's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"When the hell did you get a gun?"

"Call it security," Ed said. "Now, I am going to take the handcuffs off, Olivia, but I need you to be a good girl for the time being."

"Or what?" she asked him. "You'll shoot me? Really, Ed, as if I would believe that."

Ed chuckled and finished with the suitcase, closing it and shaking his head. He zipped it up, focusing on it, feeling Olivia's gaze on him. "I would never shoot you," he promised her. "However, I would shoot your brother, Olivia. You know that I wounded him last night? I shot him in the leg and I know exactly where he is."

Olivia eyed him. She shook her head. "You're bluffing," she said.

"Do you want to find out?" he asked from her. "I know that Harvey is hiding him. I know where Harvey lives. The only thing stopping me from going around there and finishing the job off is you. You are the one with the power here, Olivia."

Olivia felt disgusted. She wanted to throw up at what she was hearing. She looked puzzled as she stared at Ed, the two of them seeming to have a contest of who would crack first. "What happened to you?" Olivia asked from him.

"Nothing," Ed replied. "I just accepted the truth about what needs to be done and who I am. This is me, Olivia. The dominant Ed…the Ed who turns you on…who protects you…this is him, my sweet Liv."

"I preferred the old you."

"Keep kidding yourself," Ed said to her. "So what do you say? Are you going to come quietly or do I have to do something I might regret?"

She didn't answer, but the way she looked away told him that he knew the answer. He reached for the key he had kept hidden in his coat pocket all day. Undoing the cuffs, he tugged them from her wrists and she moved instantly. She reached up, her hand clenched into a fist as she went to punch him. But Ed was quick. He caught her wrist before she could make any real impact and then grabbed her other wrist as she tried to fight her way from him.

"Don't be stupid," Ed snapped at her, moving to his feet and hauling her up with him. He tossed her back onto the bed and looked down at her. "Now get changed and get ready or I swear to you that this won't end well for Jim."

Olivia turned her head over her shoulder, looking up at him while remaining on her front on the bed. She managed to push herself up, still feeling weak from her illness. She reached for a long black skirt and white top. She changed quickly, pulling on her long black boots. Ed helped her into her coat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She tried to push free from him, but his grip was tight and challenging.

"Do you know the worst part about this?" Olivia asked as he carried the case in his free hand and looked over his apartment one final time. He led Olivia out of it and towards the elevator. "I probably could have forgiven you for what you did to Kristen…I forgave you for Dougherty…but this? I can never forgive you for doing this to Jim."

"You see, that is where you are wrong, Olivia," Ed said, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button to go down. "I don't need your forgiveness. I just need you to accept what happened and move on."

"Again, that will not happen," she hissed at him.

"Time will tell," Ed only responded with.

He led her out to his car, bundling her into the passenger seat. He placed the suitcase in the trunk and started the car up. "We need to make a detour," he informed her. "I need to deal with a body before your brother finds it."

"Kristen's," Olivia whispered.

"This started because of her. It seems fitting that it should end with her," Ed commented.

He drove through the streets towards the outskirts of the city. They were both sitting in silence, one plotting where to go and the other plotting how to escape. Ed kept looking across to Olivia as she stared out the window. She spoke in a low voice, trying a different approach to getting him to stop this. She had been harsh, now she had to be weak. He had said that Ed liked it when she was weak.

"You know, I thought that you loved me," Olivia said.

"I do love you," he responded without hesitation.

"People don't do this to people they love," she said to him simply. "I honestly thought that…well…I thought that we were going to get married, Ed. I genuinely thought that we would get married and have kids…move away from here and be happy together."

"We still can," Ed said to her.

"And if you get tired of me?" Olivia asked from him. "What happens then? Will you get bored of me like you did Kristen?"

"I never got bored of Kristen," Ed said, parking the car on a lane and turning the ignition of. "I never wanted her…you know that, Olivia. Now, sit tight. I will be back once I have dealt with this."

Olivia didn't have chance to complain. Instead she watched Ed walk off into the snow covered field. She waited until he was out of sight before looking around the car for a sign of anything to help her escape. He had locked the doors and she knew that she couldn't get out considering she couldn't unlock them from the inside. She peered into the foot wells of the passenger seat and the back seat, but it was empty.

Frowning, she slipped into the back seat before spotting something hidden from view under the driver's seat. She reached for it and grabbed it, smiling to herself. It was a crowbar. If she could smash the window then she could run. She could escape him.

She hit the crowbar against the window, but it did minimal damage. She hit it again, this time causing a crack to form. She continued hitting against the crack until the glass shattered. She cleared the window free of shards with the end of the crowbar before climbing out the window. She fell into the snow, her backside and legs getting wet. Managing to haul herself up, she looked around for any sign of Ed. Had he heard her?

She didn't know, but she did see a familiar figure in the distance. She squinted intensely and shook her head. It was Jim. She knew that. Had he heard her in the car? She didn't know, but she ran as fast as she could in the snow, following Ed's footsteps that he had made. She suspected that Jim was following the same ones.

"That was a good plan, Jimbo!" Ed shouted out and Olivia came up behind him. Jim looked over Ed's shoulder. She was stood there. What was she doing here? Had she not seen Harvey and the other officers loitering behind? Jim hadn't even seen her in the car when he had been following Ed. "You sent that little street urchin to the precinct knowing that I would hear speaking about Penguin knowing where the body was buried."

Olivia tried to keep quiet as she stood in the trees, looking at the hole that Ed had been digging before he had raised his gun and aimed it at Jim.

"I followed you out here," Jim admitted to Ed.

"I'd clap, but I have your gun in my hand." Ed said.

"What happened to you?" Jim demanded.

"You dummy," Ed said, sounding exhilarated by everything. "This is who I am. Why does it hurt you, Jim? Is it because you couldn't catch me? Is that it? Well, Jim, we all know that we have some darkness inside of us. You should know that more than others."

"Ed, stop," Olivia finally spoke up.

Ed whirled around to see her stood there. He frowned as she moved towards him. He reached for her quickly, but she was also reaching for him. Moving her hands to his shoulders, she clung tightly onto him, looking him in the eye as he kept his gun aimed behind her and at Jim.

"How did you get out?" he asked.

"Crowbar," was all that she said. "That's not the point, Ed…the point is that we can go…we can leave here right now and go."

"No way in hell will I let that happen," Jim snapped and Olivia threw him a harsh stare.

She drew Ed's attention back to her, pressing her body tightly to his as she felt the chill of the snow seep through her clothes. She was shaking and Ed felt so warm. She couldn't deny that. She moved her hand to his cheek, guiding his gaze back to hers.

"Listen to me," Olivia demanded from him. "I can forgive you for everything…in time…we can move past it. You have me, Ed. You have me and I told you that I would come with you, but not if you do this to Jim. If you hurt him then you know we cannot move on. He is my brother."

"He will never stop trying to find us," Ed said to her, gaze moving between her and Jim.

"He won't find us," Olivia said, trying to sound convincing. Jim felt sick. He didn't want his sister to be anywhere near Ed. He was a monster as far as Jim was concerned. He was a monster who Jim had encouraged to date. "We can go somewhere where he won't find us. Me…Ed…me in return for Jim's life."

Ed kept his eyes darting between them before he felt Olivia step back. She held her hand out to him, waiting for him to make his choice.

"Liv-"

"-Let it go, Jim," Olivia interrupted her brother, turning to glare at him, hoping he knew what she was doing was enough to buy them time. Looking back to Ed, she saw him staring at her hand. "Let's go, Ed."

Nodding his head, Ed reached out and took her hand. It was at that time when the police made their presence known. They were led by Harvey, yells demanding for Ed to drop the gun clear as day. Ed reacted quickly, his arm going around Olivia's waist and pulling her back flat against his chest. She shrieked loudly as Ed pointed the gun back at Jim.

"Captain Barnes…I was apprehending Jim," Ed said.

"Stop it, Ed. We heard everything! Now drop the gun and let her go! On your knees now!" Barnes roared back.

Ed knew that was it then. He was down to very limited options. He turned the gun on Olivia, pressing the barrel against her temple. Jim stepped forwards then, not knowing what Ed might do as the other officers kept their guns trained on him.

"Let her go!" Jim roared at Ed.

"No," Ed said. "You're going to let me leave with Olivia…we're going…"

"Ed, there is no way out of this," Barnes shouted back. "You let her go or we'll put a bullet in the back of your skull."

Ed looked around. He was surrounded and he knew the men holding the guns could aim. Olivia, for her part, wasn't even scared. She had a gun at her head and she wasn't even fighting Ed. She was almost calm.

"You would never shoot me," she reminded him in a whisper.

Ed continued to take deep breaths, panting loudly before whispering into her ear.

"This isn't over, Olivia. I'll have you again," Ed promised her, but he let her go. He turned on his heel and tried to run off. Jim reacted quickly, moving towards his sister and taking hold of her, gathering her into his arms.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she promised him, looking on as Ed fell into the snow and ended up surrounded by officers. He had dropped the gun and had resigned himself to the fact he had been caught.

"You have no idea what I have been through," Jim whispered to his sister, grabbing hold of her and gathering her into his arms. She was pale, but she felt very hot. She was burning up. Pulling back, he looked down to her. "You're sick, Liv. You're boiling."

"I feel cold…I fell in the snow," she mumbled, eyes still on Ed as he was hauled to his feet and cuffed.

Jim followed her gaze and instantly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding tightly onto her. He moved to wrap her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She placed her own arms around his neck, chin on his shoulder as she watched Ed be escorted away, his gaze fixed on hers.

"I'm going to get you home," Jim said to his sister. "I swear that I will never let anything happen to you again…Ed will never hurt you again…no one will."

Olivia didn't respond to that. She knew that he shouldn't make promises he might not be able to keep. Jim pulled away and kissed her forehead before burrowing her under his arm and guiding her away from the scene, swearing that Edward Nygma would never get near his sister again.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	34. Chapter 34

Olivia had insisted on checking into a hotel that evening. Jim had drive her to the Western Hotel, knowing that it was plush enough for an evening and he wasn't going to scrimp on cost after what his sister had just been through. She had told him that she had no intention of returning to Ed's apartment. She knew that she would have to find her own place pronto. She would have to go back to Ed's and pick all of her things up too. Jim kept her bundled against his side, arm around her shoulders. He refused to drop her from his grip, preferring to keep her with him.

He walked into the suite once he had checked in, holding the door open for his sister. She followed him in and looked around. The room was big with a large king sized bed and a white, plush duvet that looked terribly inviting. She couldn't help but think it looked very inviting. Jim watched her pull her coat from her body and he locked the door behind him.

"Liv, lay down. I'll make you a cup of tea," Jim said, looking to small kettle on the desk across from the bed. "Do you want anything else? I can go out and pick something else up for you…anything else…"

"I'm fine," Olivia said to him. She didn't want anything. She just wanted to be left alone for the time being. She wanted to curl into a ball and forget about Edward Nygma. But she knew that she would never be able to do that. Ed had a grip over her. She knew that it would take time to free herself from it.

"I'm making you a cup of tea," Jim decided, pulling his own coat off and chucking it onto the sofa. He pushed his shoes off too, feeling the plush carpet. Olivia was already doing the same, tugging the duvet down on the bed. She climbed into the bed and rested against the plush pillows. Tugging the duvet to her chin, she nestled on her side against the pillows.

Jim sighed, looking at the back of her. Walking over to the bed, Jim sat on the other side of it. He kept his hands in his lap.

"We don't have to talk about it," he said in a gentle voice to her. "Not right now, anyway."

"We do," Olivia responded, closing her eyes and doing her best to gather the courage to tell Jim the truth. "I should have known that he set you up, Jim. I should have known."

"How could you have known, Liv?" Jim asked from her as she rolled over to face him. "You didn't know what he had done…Dougherty…Kristen Kringle…Pinkney…how could you possibly have known?"

Olivia felt her mouth dry out. She wanted to tell him that she did know. She wanted Jim to know the truth. But if she told him then would he blame her? Would he think that she knew? If she had told him about Dougherty and Kristen earlier then this might not have happened. Ed wouldn't have had the chance to set Jim up. He would never have been able to get away with it. She didn't want Jim to be angry with her. She couldn't deal with that. She had lost Ed. Lee had left. She had no one but Jim.

"You would have told me, Liv," Jim continued speaking and Olivia looked into his eyes. He thought that she was innocent in all of this. He moved over to rest his hand on top of her arm. Squeezing it gently, he leaned in closer to her and brushed her hair from her face, kissing her on the cheek. "I know that you would have told me."

"Yeah," was all that she weakly offered him. She would tell him tomorrow. She would gather up the courage to tell him that she had known what Ed had done.

"I can't believe it," Jim whispered. "I just can't believe what he did. Ed…and the thought of him even touching you-"

"-Can we not?" Olivia interrupted him, one hand instinctively going to her wrist and feeling the bruising from the handcuff. Looking at Jim, she managed a wan smile, trying not to cry. "I don't want to think about it, Jim…Ed…he…I just don't want to talk about him right now."

"Okay," Jim agreed, the kettle beginning to boil.

"Have you spoken to Lee?" Olivia asked from Jim, changing the topic. He went over to the kettle and poured the hot water into the mug with the lemon tea bag inside of it. "If she sees what happened on the news then she might be worried. She needs to know that you are free."

"I will call her and tell her what happened," Jim said to his sister.

"Will you go to her?" Olivia wondered from him.

Jim carried the mug over to the bedside table. He set it down and then sat down on the edge of the bed, shrugging his shoulders. He looked down into his lap and let out a deep breath.

"I can't," Jim responded. "I can't go to her just yet. I have things that I need to sort out here…Bruce Wayne…I need to solve his case after everything he has done for me."

"And how long will that take?" Olivia wondered. "How dangerous will that be?"

"I don't know," Jim responded, "but I have to do it. You know me, Liv. I have a sense of duty. I see things through to the end and this is the case I need to close before I get back to Lee."

"Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?" Olivia asked, sitting up and taking the mug, holding it in her hands. She sniffed loudly and tried not to cough.

"No," Jim said.

"Okay," Olivia said. "Well, can you ask Lee a favour for me? Can you ask her if I can come and stay with her? I think that I need to get away from Gotham. I need time away from the city to decide what I want to do."

"Yeah," Jim said, sounding overly eager. Nodding his head, he reached for his cell. "I'll call her now and ask her. I'm sure she'll say yes."

"Hope so," Olivia muttered, sipping on the warm tea.

Jim bent down, kissing her forehead before he went to make the phone call. Olivia sipped on the tea once more and then looked up to the ceiling, blinking back tears while thinking about Ed again.

…

Olivia had found a new apartment in Gotham for the time being. Jim had agreed to move in with her, the two bed apartment big enough for the both of them. Jim had been cautious in renting somewhere, but Liv had assured him that it was only temporary. She needed a few weeks away to clear her head and then she would return to work and find out what she wanted to do. In the meantime, Jim needed somewhere to live.

He had escorted her into Ed's apartment to box up all of her things. The place had been considered a crime scene and they had been watched by a police officer. Olivia had tried to hold herself together while sorting through everything. It seemed that every item she touched or looked at had a particular memory of her time with Ed. She had glanced at the photo he had had framed of the two of them when they had been out for dinner with Lee and Jim. How could the smiling Ed be the same man who had committed so many crimes? It didn't make sense to her.

Packing her case, Olivia fretted about what to pack. She was flying out to spend two weeks with Lee, her friend urging her to come and get away from Gotham. Jim had wondered if Lee could persuade Olivia to stay away for good. Lee had been tense on the phone with Jim, almost as though she shad something she was struggling to tell him.

"We need to make a detour on the way to the airport," Olivia informed her brother, finishing her packing and zipping up the medium sized case. She locked it while Jim stood in the doorway of her bedroom. Most of her things were still in cardboard boxes. She hadn't had the energy to unpack.

"Where are we going?" Jim asked her.

Olivia handed him a piece of paper she had kept in her satchel. Jim took it from her and read over it. His eyes widened and he shook his head. "You have to be kidding," he said, his voice a hiss.

"I need to see him one last time," Olivia said.

"No, you don't." Jim retorted.

"Jim, this isn't up for discussion," Olivia hissed at her brother, not wanting a lecture. "I just need to have closure and then that is it. I will go and see Lee. I will figure out what I want and how to move on from him…but I just need to do this."

Jim huffed. His sister was old enough to make her own mind up. She locked her suitcase and dropped the key into her bag. She double checked that she had everything she needed in the satchel before shrugging into her long red coat. She pulled her hair from the collar and grabbed hold of the handle of her suitcase.

"I don't like this," Jim commented.

"You don't need to like it," she promised him. "You just need to support me in this."

"Fine," Jim said tersely, handing her the visiting order bag. She dumped it into her pocket and nodded once at her brother.

"Let's go then."

…..

The drive down to Arkham had been quiet. Jim had insisted on going in with his sister and waiting in the waiting room for her to come back out. She went through the usual security checks before she was admitted into a small interview room. The guard told her of the procedure and she listened, nodding her head. She sat down on one side of the table and the door closed behind her. Looking to the door on the other side, she folded one leg over the other and waited for Ed to come.

He had agreed to the meeting. Of course he had. He wanted to see Olivia. He wanted to see her because then he would have the chance to keep his claws in her.

Olivia shifted uncomfortably on the seat. She drummed her fingers against her kneecap before hearing a loud buzzing noise. The door opened and there he was. His hair looked unkempt and long, dangling down onto his forehead. His glasses were perched on the edge of his nose and he wore a black and white striped uniform. His eyes found hers and instantly his lips curved upwards.

Sitting down on the chair across from her, the guard secured his handcuffs to the table so that he could not move. He informed them that they had ten minutes and then left them alone, the door clinking shut loudly and leaving them alone. There was silence for a few moments, Olivia doing her best not to let her breathing grow heavier.

"I confess that I was surprised to receive your request."

"Why?" Olivia asked him. The question was so simple, yet it took him off guard. Shrugging his shoulders, Ed leaned back in his chair and eyed her with intrigue, trying to work her out. She remained impassive, refusing to let him get to her. She had sworn to herself that she was not going to let him in.

"Well, you did make it perfectly clear that I was not your favourite person," Ed responded.

"And you are shocked by that?" she wondered from him.

"Not at all," he said. "But I just wondered…did you know, Olivia? Did you know the truth about Galavan?"

Olivia felt herself flinch then. She said nothing, but Ed could deduce it easily. Nodding his head, he continued smirking and folded one leg over the other. "You did," he said simply. "But you never told me. What happened to not keeping secrets, Liv? Or does that only count when it doesn't involve your dear brother?"

"Shut up," Olivia hissed at him. She suspected he knew about Jim killing Galavan from Penguin. She had managed to work that one out with Jim's help. She didn't want to think about it. "You set my brother up, Ed."

"Your brother continued snooping in my business," Ed said to her. "Jimmy just couldn't leave it alone, could he? He just couldn't drop things. He kept on pushing…and pushing…and pushing."

"Don't blame him for what you did," Olivia demanded from him, sitting up straight and resting her hands on the table. "You know what I wanted, Ed."

"Oh, I know what you wanted," Ed said, also sitting up and leaning closer to her. He observed her intently, seeing the way her pupils grew and her lips parted. He resisted the urge to smirk at the sight. "You wanted to run away. You wanted to get away from here…make a life with just us…with the weak Ed."

"I wanted you," was all that she said to him. "It was always you, Ed."

"Don't worry," Ed said to her. "I'll be out of here before you know it. This place is just one big puzzle and you know how much I love puzzles. Once I'm out then we will be together. I will come for you, my darling Olivia."

"No," Olivia said firmly. "You are not getting out of here, Ed."

"Oh ye of little faith," Ed hummed. "Time will tell, Liv, but I wouldn't bet against me."

"Stop it," Olivia demanded from him. "I came here for closure, Ed. I came here to tell you that I have moved out of your apartment…that I want nothing to do with you. I don't want you contacting me."

"Deny it all you want," Ed said, standing then and leaning over the table so that he was closer to her. Whispering into her ear, he noted how she didn't even move away from him. She remained still, almost as though she was stuck to the spot. "But your breathing grew shallow when you saw me. I suspect your pulse heightened. Your lips parted and your pupils dilated. You can lie all you want, but you cannot deny the way you feel…not to me."

"You're deluded," Olivia simply said to him, looking him up and down before standing on her feet.

"Don't insult my intelligence," Ed pleaded from her, sitting back in his seat. He looked her up and down. "Did you tell Jim?"

Olivia frowned, pausing on her way to the door. "Tell him what?" she asked, but the silent look he threw her was obvious. He wanted to know if she had told Jim that she knew what Ed had done. Ed smirked and cocked his head to the side.

"I will take that as a no," Ed said in a whisper. "Scared that he might not look at you in the same way?"

She said nothing in response, but Ed already knew her answer.

"Don't worry," he said in an amused voice. "I won't tell him."

"I've had enough," Olivia said to him, knocking on the door to inform the guard she was ready to go. She turned her head over her shoulder, looking at Ed for one final time. "Goodbye, Ed."

"Oh no, Olivia," Ed said, smiling widely, "this is only the beginning for us."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	35. Chapter 35

Olivia waited for her suitcase to come from the belt, rocking back and forth on her heels. It had felt good to touch down in a different state away from Gotham. She instantly felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She kept a look out for her suitcase, standing in a line with everyone else who had gotten off the same flight as her. She saw the navy suitcase come around the corner and stepped forward, pulling it from the belt. Standing it up, she grabbed the handle and wheeled it at the side of her. She let her coat hang loose on her frame, the floral long dress she wore with boots revealed. Walking out of arrivals, she glanced around for any sign of Lee.

It didn't take her long to spot her. The doctor was stood to one side, wearing a grey coat with black dress underneath it. She spotted Olivia and instantly broke into a smile. Olivia beamed back, rushing towards her with her bag slapping against her hip. Once she was in front of her, she released her case and wrapped her arms around Lee. Lee reciprocated, holding Olivia tightly.

"It is so good to see you," Lee breathed, a sigh of relief escaping her as she squeezed Olivia tightly. "I am so sorry, Liv. If I had any idea what was going on then I would never have left."

"None of us knew," Olivia said to her, voice soft, pulling back. She looked Lee in the eye as Lee held onto her shoulders. "I never knew that he would set Jim up…that he would enjoy it…he kept that side of him very well hidden."

"I was so relieved when Jim said he had found you safe," Lee said. "Come on, we can go back to mine. I've got two bottles of wine, chips, chocolate and a pizza on the way this evening."

"Sounds perfect," Olivia said.

Lee grabbed hold of Olivia's suitcase, ignoring her protests. The two of them left the terminal and headed towards the car park. Lee paid for the parking before they moved to the car, lapsing into conversation. Lee told Olivia about her job and how she was settling in. Olivia had been happy to hear that Lee was happy away from Gotham. She had built a life for herself in Atlanta.

They pulled up to her house and Olivia had been in awe. The place was a classic townhouse, filled with fancy furniture and lined with wooden floors and plush carpets in the bedrooms and living rooms. Lee had given her the tour, carrying her case up the stairs and into the guest room she had set up. She had tried to make it as comfortable as possible. She had bought a new duvet set with a blanket, alongside buying Olivia her favourite toiletries in case she had forgotten any or had had no room in her suitcase.

She left Olivia to unpack and hang her things up in the closet. Walking back down the stairs, she shrugged her coat off and hung it up on the coat rack. Wandering into the kitchen, she reached for the bottle of wine she had left to chill in the fridge and opened it up. Pouring them each a glass, Lee sipped on the liquid slowly and knew that she would have to tell Olivia about Mario eventually. Even worse, she knew that she would have to tell Jim. As far as she knew, the two of them were over. He had told her to move on with her life and she had done that. Of course, a part of her still pined for him. But Mario had been good for her. He treated her well and adored her, just as she adored him.

She only wondered how Olivia might react.

"Lee, your bathroom is amazing," Olivia's voice entered the kitchen.

She had changed into a pair of jeans with a dark blue jumper. She had fluffy socks on her feet and had tied her hair into a high ponytail. She looked around the kitchen again, the oak cabinets a light colour with a country feeling.

"Do you like it?" Lee asked, sliding a glass of wine across the island towards Olivia. "It was the tub that really sold it to me."

"I can see why," Olivia said to her. "It is like a mini swimming pool."

"It's great," Lee said. "Come on, we can go and sit down and catch up properly."

Olivia nodded and went along with Lee into the living room. She sat down on the sofa, tucking one leg beneath her body. Lee sat to the other side of her, holding her wine glass in her hands and swilling the liquid slowly. "So," Lee began, "be honest, Liv, how are you? And don't give me any crap like you did at the airport."

Shrugging her shoulders, Olivia didn't entirely know what to say. She hadn't spoken about how she had felt in such a long time. All she kept telling Jim was that she was fine. He didn't need to know anything other than that, but he could see through her. He never pushed her though. He always let her just get away with saying she was fine.

"I don't know," Olivia said. "I don't know how I am, Lee. I just feel numb most of the time…whenever I think of him I just feel anger and hurt for what he did, but I try not to think about him. I don't want to think about him. He…I really thought that he was the one and that we could leave Gotham together. I thought that we could get away…get married…be happy…but he turned out to be another ex in my long list of bad choices of men to date."

"I just can't believe it," Lee said to her. "I cant believe that he would do that to Jim. I thought that we were friends with Ed. I thought that he cared about us."

"I think that he did," Olivia said, "but then Jim started snooping into what he had done to Kristen."

"And that in itself is crazy!" Lee exclaimed. "He killed Kristen and just hid it from us."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed weakly. She hadn't told Jim that she knew. It had been too long and she didn't know if she had it in her to tell him now. What harm would come from keeping it from him? Ed was never getting out of Arkham, Jim had promised her that. He had told her how he would do everything he could to keep him in that place.

"I swear that if I ever see him…" Lee let the threat hang in the air.

"I think you might have to get behind Jim in that line to get to Ed," Olivia said to her.

"How is he?" Lee wondered from Olivia and she shrugged.

"He's Jim," was all that she could truly say to her. "He's working on the Bruce Wayne case again and trying to get closure on it, but he's not gone back to the GCPD. He wants to finish that case and then he is done with Gotham."

Lee looked shocked at that, eyes wide. "He is done with Gotham?" she asked from her.

"Yeah," Olivia said. "I think that both of us are probably done with Gotham. We've rented an apartment together for the short term, but…I don't think either of us are going to stay there now."

"Where will you go?" 

"I don't know," Olivia said. "I've been thinking about going to Florida or somewhere? I can find a teaching job out there and it's warm."

"It is," Lee said with a nod. "And Jim?"

"Well," Olivia said. She felt slightly awkward. She didn't know what her brother had planned. She had her guesses, but she didn't know if Lee should know. Olivia knew that Jim wanted Lee back. He was finishing the case and his intention was to find her, but did she want to be found? "I'm not entirely sure."

Lee nodded and glugged on her wine before placing the glass down. She let out a shaky breath and knew that she had to tell Olivia the truth. "I didn't know how to do this," Lee said to Olivia. "I was worried about how you might react because you're Jim's sister, but I have to tell you…because…well…you're my best friend and I realise how that is pretty strange considering I dated your brother."

"You're babbling," Olivia commented.

"I know," Lee groaned, "but…well…the thing is, Liv…I've met someone."

Olivia's eyes widened. Nodding her head, she wasn't sure how to react, but she couldn't be mad at Lee. Jim and Lee had split up. Jim had urged for Lee to move on and clearly she had. Olivia just felt bad for her brother. She knew that he was going to be devastated.

"Okay," Olivia said.

"I know that's weird," Lee said. "The last time I saw you was when I was trying to save Jim, but after I lost the baby I started talking to this guy. He works in the hospital with me and we just got close. Things went from there. Jim was still locked up and he…I…I wanted to move on."

"I'm not judging, Lee," Olivia promised, holding her hands up defensively. "I'm happy if you're happy. I get it. You couldn't wait forever and at one stage it looked like we might have to."

"You're sure you're not mad?"

"Lee, I have no reason to be mad. You didn't cheat on Jim. You guys aren't even together," Olivia said, but she knew exactly how this would destroy Jim. Olivia suspected that both of them were going to have to try and help each other. "What's his name?"

"Mario Falcone."

….

Jim knew that there was something dodgy going on at Arkham. He had been with Bruce and the young boy had told him about what they had found. They suspected that Hugo Strange was experimenting on inmates at Arkham. Jim had gone there and asked about Karen Jennings. She had been a test subject on an old Wayne Enterprises programmed called Pinewood Farms. She had been hurt while there, tortured by Strange. The programme had tried to play god. It had tried to change people. Jim had gone to Strange to find out more and he had called the man's bluff, saying that he had a warrant to dig up Victor Fries's body after Jim had seen him. He knew that Fries had been at Arkham. Strange had done something to him. But there was no warrant. Yet, Strange had looked panicked, saying that he had been cremated. It was then when Jim knew he was lying. He was sure of it.

He had left the office and had been on his way out when he had seen him behind bars. He was looking straight at him, a smirk on his face.

"Hello, Jimbo," he said and Jim tried to keep walking on. "What brings you here?"

"None of your business, Ed," Jim said to him. "Go to hell."

"You've already put me there, well here," Ed joked, walking alongside Jim on the other side of the bars as the man finally stopped still. Ed lifted his hands up and held the wire, laughing as he did so. "But not for long, my friend. I will find my way out because this place is just one big puzzle. No one beats me."

"I did," Jim said, almost looking smug.

"Is that what you think?" Ed asked from him. "No, Jim, you didn't beat me and I will prove that to you when I am out of here."

"You're not getting out of here, Ed," Jim said.

"When I do…then I will come for you," Ed said, ignoring Jim's comment. "I am coming for you, Jim and I am going to make you pay for what you have done."

"Whatever," Jim said. "See you never, Ed."

"How is she?" Ed called out as Jim turned away. He froze suddenly, stopping himself from leaving. Ed watched Jim clench his hands into fists. He had him now. "Does she miss me? Does she still pine after me? I have her picture in my cell, Jimbo. I sit and I stare at it…thinking about how I am going to get out of here and be with her again. She will be mine again. She will be back where she belongs."

Jim whirled around then, storming back over to Ed. He stood inches from him, his voice low and dark, but Ed continued smirking. He found this quite interesting. Jim's reaction would entertain him. Ed always knew how to get to Jim and that was through Olivia.

"She is miles away from Gotham and that is where she is going to stay," Jim sniped at Ed. "You are never getting out of here, Ed. You are never going to see her again and I am going to do everything in my power to make certain of that."

"Do you think you can stop love, Jim?" Ed wondered, forehead pressing against the wire as he clung onto it. "Do you honestly believe that you can stop her from loving me? I know what I am, Ed. I know who I truly am now and she knows it too. Deep down she knows me and she accepts me…believe me…she enjoyed my dark side when I had her in bed, Jimbo."

Ed chuckled while Jim's cheeks puffed out and he struggled to control himself, his fists now unbelievably longing to reach out and pummel Ed. He hadn't had a chance to do that when they had been in the forest.

"You're not to discuss her…to even try and contact her…I don't even want you thinking of her."

"That might be difficult considering she consumes nearly every thought I have," Ed commented.

"You're not worth it," Jim finally said, clearly being the bigger man. He began walking backwards away from Ed. "She will never forgive you. Get that through your head."

Ed continued smirking, watching as Jim turned and walked away from him. He chuckled and shook his head. "You have no idea, Jimmy…no idea at all."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	36. Chapter 36

Meeting Mario had been slightly strange for Olivia. She didn't think that it would go down well, what with her being the sister of Lee's ex-boyfriend…hell…fiancé at one stage. Olivia had done her best to be nice to the man, sitting and sipping her glass of wine as Lee made conversation. Olivia suspected that he knew everything that had happened in their lives. Why would he not? Thankfully, he didn't bring any of it up. Olivia didn't know if she could stomach it if he did.

As the night went on and they relaxed further, she came to enjoy talking with the couple. Mario seemed like a good guy and it was clear that he adored Lee. He had doted on her the entire night, soft touches to her arm and her shoulder happening often. Lee had warned him not to engage into too much PDA, knowing that it would be awkward. But she had wanted Olivia to meet him.

"What did you think?" Lee asked from her once they were back in her townhouse.

Shrugging from her jacket, Olivia hung it up and Lee copied her movements.

"He is nice," Olivia said to Lee. "Really, he seems like a nice and honest guy."

"Okay, good," Lee said, "because there is something that I need to tell you about him."

"Oh?" Olivia questioned, slipping her heels from her feet and placing them on the shoe rack. "Lee, so long as he isn't some serial killing mad man then I think you're safe."

"No," Lee said, letting out a nervous laugh. "He…well…his last name is Falcone."

Olivia's brows knitted together. She felt her mouth gape open and she did her best not to blanche at what she had heard. He was a Falcone. "But…not…"

"Yeah, he is," Lee said, guiding Olivia into the kitchen. "Carmine Falcone is his father."

"What?" Olivia snapped and Lee went to the fridge to grab a bottle of wine. Olivia sat at the dining table, folding one leg over the other as she did her best to get her head around that. She threw her head back and shook it. "How did you meet Carmine Falcone's son? Do you have a magnet for guys who seem to attract trouble?"

Lee unscrewed the cap to the wine bottle, looking at Olivia sceptically as she poured the liquid into two large glasses. "You really want to go there with me?" she asked.

Olivia looked sheepish then, shrugging her shoulders and glancing down to the table. "Guess not," she mumbled in response to her, knowing that she had no room to talk after her dating history. "But are you sure that you want to get involved with the Falcones? You know what Carmine did…"

"Mario is not Carmine," Lee said, moving to sit across from Olivia. She slid a glass of wine across to her. "Mario is a good man, Liv. He is a doctor…and he is nothing like the men in Gotham. He is straight laced. I trust him and I think he is good for me. Honestly, trust me on this one."

"Hey, who you date is your business only," she said defensively. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Lee. I know that it is a bit awkward having me around-"

"-No," Lee interrupted, waving a nonchalant hand. "Liv, Mario was fine with it. He knows that we're friends and he knows that is not going to change."

"Still, must be weird for him and you."

"No," Lee said. "What I had with Jim was great and a piece of me will always love him. I just can't be with him. The life he wants and the life I want is very different. I had to move on. I just had to move on, Liv."

Olivia didn't want to tell Lee what Jim's plan had been. It seemed to be a case of wrong place, wrong time for both of them. She could tell her, but then that would risk what she had with Mario. Olivia didn't want to do that. It was not in her place to do that. If she loved Jim enough then she would have come back for him when she had heard he was free. That was what Olivia thought, anyway. But she understood what Lee meant. Jim lived for danger, even though he claimed to hate it. He would never be one to settle down and Olivia could see that. It turned out Lee saw it too and she didn't want to be around it.

"Yeah," was all Olivia offered back to her. "I get that."

….

Returning to Gotham, Olivia had done her best to understand the news that Jim had told her. She had spent two weeks with Lee, enjoying her time away. She had done normal things, like shopping for fun and drinking in a café with a book. She had walked through parks and Lee had shown her the sights and taken her to her favourite places to eat. Returning to Gotham, Olivia felt deflated. She had been in contact with Jim, but he had not told her what had been going on.

"What the hell do you mean Theo Galavan returned?" she demanded from her brother as he drove her back to their apartment from the airport. He looked exhausted and his hair was a mess, flopping down on his forehead. His face was pale and he had a cut on his cheek.

"I mean," Jim drawled to her, "Theo Galavan never died. Hugo Strange, the doctor at Arkham, picked him up and turned him into…well…he called himself Azrael."

"Azrael?" Olivia echoed back to him. "How did I not know about any of this? Why did you not tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you," Jim responded with a shrug. "I'd told Lee to keep you away from the news too when she could. I didn't want you looking or…well…wondering about Ed."

"I'm not wondering about Ed," Olivia retorted to her brother. "What I am wondering is why you didn't tell me. You need to tell me things, Jim."

"And I do, but I was fine," Jim promised his sister. "Listen, Azrael died. We got to him before he could do any damage, but no one knows for certain that it was Theo Galavan. We suspect that Strange covered his tracks."

"So…I'm not supposed to know he was Galavan?" Olivia asked.

"People suspect it is him," Jim responded. "People aren't blind and they saw him on TV, but we are not confirming that it was him, which it definitely was. Anyway, Harvey is dealing with that PR mess. I have bigger things to worry about."

"Like what?" Olivia enquired from him.

"Selina Kyle," he said to her. "She has gone missing. Bruce came to me and said he thinks that Strange has her."

"Has her?" Olivia asked. "Wait, what is Strange doing to people? He must have done something to Galavan considering you shot him."

"Yeah," Jim weakly said, pulling up outside of the apartment block. He turned the engine off and looked at Olivia. "Strange has been experimenting on the prisoners at Arkham. I don't know specifically what he has been doing, but there was a woman who attested to that…I saw her, Liv. She had hands…like claws."

Olivia felt her stomach churn. Shaking her head, she got her head around what he was saying. "So…there is a lab?" Olivia asked. "There is a lab where he is experimenting on prisoners?"

"Yep," Jim said, popping his lips. "Lucius Fox, who works at Wayne Enterprises, knows that the company has ties with Strange and the work he has done, well, the legit work anyway. The plan is to get Bruce into Arkham with Lucius. Lucius thinks he can find where the lab is and then I will call Harvey to bust Strange."

"This is a ridiculous plot," Olivia said to him, unable to stop herself. "How old is Bruce Wayne? He is just a kid. You cannot use him as bait."

"He will have Lucius with him," Jim promised his sister. "Besides, Bruce has seen a lot more than you would have thought. He isn't a naïve kid."

"I still don't like it," Olivia said. "If Strange is experimenting…well…"

"I doubt he is experimenting on him." Jim said to his sister.

"How do you know?" 

"Why do you care?" Jim retorted, deflecting from her. She folded her hands into her lap. "Liv, his safety should be the least of your concerns."

"It doesn't work like that though, does it?" Olivia snapped back at her brother, looking at him with gritted teeth. She took a moment to try and compose herself. "It hasn't even been a month, Jim…I can't turn off how I feel about him…not deep down inside."

"You cannot love him, Liv-"

"-It isn't that simple," Olivia interrupted, shaking her head at him. "I might not like him. I might hate him for what he has done, but I cannot stop…I just…I can't stop thinking about him, Jim. I've tried to. I have tried so hard to forget him, but it is almost impossible."

Jim sat back, closing his eyes for a second. He turned to look to the side as his sister observed the backs of her hands. "Perhaps you need to see someone, Liv? Maybe talking to someone could help?"

"I'll be fine," Olivia said. "I just…I need time."

"Yeah," Jim said, not sounding convinced on that front. But what else could he say? There was nothing that he could do. He just had to keep his eye on her and keep her safe and, as best as he could, keep her mind off of Ed. He didn't know if he would be able to do that, but he would do his hardest.

….

Olivia went behind her brother's back. She knew that she shouldn't. She just had to see him for herself. She also wondered if he knew anything about what Strange was doing. Ed was many things, but naïve and ignorant was not among them. If Strange was doing something dodgy, then she had a feeling that Ed might know what.

Sitting in the interview room, Olivia let out the breath she had been holding in when she saw him. His hair had grown even longer, but there was a look to him. Olivia arched a brow as he took his seat and the guard cuffed him to the table before leaving. He said nothing, letting Olivia make the first move. She leaned in closer to him, hands on the steel table. He noted the white blouse she wore tucked into a pair of dark jeans and longed to hold her to him again, to feel the cotton of her blouse under his hands.

"Do they record conversations in here?" she asked him.

Ed arched a brow and looked around. "They aren't supposed to," was what he responded with. "Why? Have you come for some dirty talk, Liv?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that desperate."

"You always were when I was in your ear," he responded.

She held a hand up and shook her head. "We are not doing this," she said firmly to him. "I need to know what is going on in this place?"

"And what type of question is that?" Ed asked, intrigued. He leaned closer to her, folding one leg over the other. He observed her, wondering if she knew something. Jim had been to Arkham. Jim had been snooping in their business and Ed knew that. He had overheard it. "What do you know?"

"What do you know?" Olivia retorted.

"Oh no," Ed said firmly, shaking his head. "You are going to go first. Tell me what you know."

"I don't think so," Olivia said. She didn't want to get Jim into any trouble if Ed went and blabbed to someone. "I should get going-"

"-Fine," Ed interrupted, breaking first. He gave his head a shake and bit down on his bottom lip, chuckling darkly. He held a finger up, wagging it. "Firstly," he began, "what I tell you I assume will be used to help your brother?"

"Depends what you tell me," she responded.

"I know what they are doing in the basement."

"Experimenting?" she asked.

"Yes," Ed mumbled. "I saw it first hand and tried to escape. That plan didn't exactly work out and I bumped into that kid…she was trying to get in here to find her sister."

"Selina Kyle?" she asked him.

"Yes," Ed said. "So Jim has been talking."

"She hasn't come back out," Olivia admitted to him. "Is she still in here."

Ed shrugged. "If she is then she is still in the basement," he said to her, arching his brow. "Why? Let me guess, Jim is going to try and come in here and play the hero?"

Olivia shrugged. She was not going to give anything away. Ed chuckled.

"You're a bad liar," he said to her. "Is that why you came here, Liv? You wanted information on what Strange is doing?"

"Yes."

"No other reason?"

"What other reason could there be?"

"To see me," Ed said. "Jim told you what was happening here and you were worried. Did you think Strange would experiment on me? I think I am a bit boring for his tastes, Liv. You don't need to worry about that, but your concern is touching."

Olivia said nothing. How could she even deny it to him when she couldn't deny it to herself? Instead she moved to stand up, tugging her shirt down. Ed watched her movements, seeing how she self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ear. She wouldn't deny it because she couldn't. He found that interesting.

"I need to go," Olivia said.

"I suspect I will see you soon, Liv."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you cannot stay away, despite what you say," Ed said, longing to stand up and stalk towards her. He imagined having her pinned against the wall. The things he longed to do to her. It had been so long since he had felt her touch – too long, in fact. He missed it. He needed it.

"I will this time," she said determinedly.

"You couldn't even deny that you were concerned, Liv," Ed said to her. "I know you better than you know yourself. You still love me, of course. Feelings like that do not disappear, especially after everything we have been through."

"Stop it," she urged from him, not wanting to listen to it. She didn't need it validating by him. "I am leaving, Ed."

"I still love you," he said to her and she froze. His words took her breath away. How could they not? "I think about you all the time. You consume my every thoughts and I keep thinking of ways for us to be together because I know, despite everything, you still love me and we can be happy."

"You see, that is when you become deluded," Olivia said, hands moving into the back pockets of her jeans. "We could have been happy, Ed. We could have been together…but you framed my brother. I cannot forgive that."

"Perhaps not, but you can accept it."

"No, I will not," she said firmly. "I am going."

Ed watched her walk out the room then, leaning back in his chair and wondering how he could meddle in Jim's business.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	37. Chapter 37

Ed was now locked up under even stricter conditions after he had attempted to escape. Ed had been willing to do anything to get out of the confinement he was in with the cannibalistic killer.

He had told Ethel Peabody about Jim Gordon and he was snooping around the Asylum because he knew what was going on in the basement. The fact that Olivia had come to him was enough to tell him that was Gordon's plan. Of course, Olivia had no idea that Ed planned to use that information against Jim.

"You know that his sister came to visit me," Ed said, giving them all of the information they had needed when he was sat with the two of them. He looked between Peabody and Strange, trying to convince them that he could be useful. He would do anything for an easier life in that place. Of course, he did not intend to stay there for much longer. "I know her and I know Jim Gordon. I know how they operate."

"And how is that?" Strange wondered from Ed.

"Olivia came to me because she knows that you are doing something in the basement. If she knows then you can bet she got her information from Jim."

"And why did she come here to tell you?" Strange wondered and Ed shifted in the chair, scratching at his chin. He said nothing for a moment and Strange was able to piece the puzzle together without Ed speaking. "Because she was concerned for you."

"She said something about Selina Kyle," Ed admitted, not wanting to get into the relationship he had with Olivia Gordon. That was his business and no one else's. She was his and only his. "She said how she had gone missing and the last place she had visited was this Asylum."

"So what?" Peabody wondered, pushing Ed. "Why would they think she is here? How does he intend to come in?"

"I do not know," Ed responded. "But you know exactly that Jim is going to do something…and he is probably working with someone else."

"Bruce Wayne," Strange said, looking at Peabody. It would make sense why they would be working together and why Bruce Wayne had asked to come and look around the facility. Peabody nodded her head and then looked back to Ed, her lips curling upwards.

"Perhaps we could let Mr Nygma have some fun."

…

Olivia had tried to dissuade her brother from going through with the plan, but there was no dissuading Jim. He would do everything that he could to help Bruce and save Selina Kyle. She was sat on the sofa, trying to keep herself distracted but failing miserably. She had gone back to work, but things had been tense. She had struggled to get into the flow of things. She paced up and down the living room, her mind still on Jim when she reached for her cell. She called the GCPD.

"Can I speak to Harvey Bullock?" she asked when someone picked up. "It's Jim Gordon's sister."

He transferred her without a second thought and she let the phone rest in between her cheek and shoulder while pacing up and down, her hands fiddling with each other.

"Olivia," Harvey greeted her, the line slightly fuzzy. "Have you heard from Jim?"

"Not a word," Olivia shook her head and took hold of the phone once more. She closed her eyes for a moment, fearing the worst. "What is going on, Harvey? Can you not go in after him?"

"We were supposed to wait for him to give us the all clear," Harvey responded to her. "But it's been a while now. He shouldn't have been gone this long."

"Harvey, please," Olivia begged of him. "Please just go in and bring him home. Please."

"Olivia, I would, but I-"

"-Harvey, he is your friend and he could be in danger!" Olivia snapped down the phone. "Send someone. I need to get down there…I need to-"

"-You are to go nowhere near that place," Harvey said to her, voice demanding. "I mean it, Olivia. You stay away from there. I'll send the boys down there."

"I'm coming to the precinct," Olivia said firmly. "I want to be with you when you get news."

….

Standing in the GCPD precinct, Olivia looked at the desk that had been her brother's and wondered if he would ever return to the GCPD. She stood near Harvey as he remained in contact with the taskforce he had sent to the Asylum. Relief coursed through their veins when they said that they hadn't had to swarm the place. Jim had come out. Olivia collapsed against the railings overlooking the desk, holding tightly onto it.

Harvey dropped the radio and went to stand next to her, hand going to her shoulder and squeezing it. "He's fine," he promised her. "The boys are bringing him back here and then he is under strict orders to go home and rest."

"I can see to that," Olivia promised Harvey, turning to look at him. "Thank you, Harvey."

"Hey, he's my buddy," Harvey said to her. "He's a pain in the ass, but he's a good guy."

"I agree with that."

Harvey and Olivia sat down at his desk then, talking about everything and nothing. Jim soon walked in with the other officers and wandered into the precinct, looking around. But he looked like he was sweating and he had a manic appearance to him. He was smiling, but it was overly emphasised. Olivia said nothing, looking down at him as she walked down the steps towards him.

"Jim," she said.

"Olivia!" he shouted, voice overly loud and she almost recoiled at the loud noise. She wrapped her arms around him and Olivia pulled back after a moment, holding his shoulders as his face continued contorting and he looked around.

"So what?" Harvey asked from Jim.

"Found nothing," Jim said.

Olivia frowned and pulled away from him. Something was not right.

"You found nothing?"

"Nope," Jim said, hands on hips and eyes darting around again. "We found nothing at all. He was completely clean."

"What?" Olivia was the one to ask. She shook her head. "Jim, you were convinced that he had something going on in that place. What the hell has happened to make you change your mind?"

"We couldn't find anything."

"Yeah, speaking of, where is Bruce?" Olivia asked. "You dragged him into this."

"Oh, he went home," Jim said with a nod of his head.

"You okay, buddy?" Harvey wondered. "You're looking frantic."

"I'm fine," Jim responded, smiling. "I think I might have a touch of he flu."

"Well," Harvey said, holding his hands up and backing away. "Stay away from me. I'm getting laid at the weekend. You two head home. I'll catch you both later."

"Yeah," Olivia said and looked to her brother, but then held a finger up. "Give me a minute, Jim."

She rushed back to Harvey as he returned to his desk. She took hold of his arm, tugging on his sleeve as he tidied up his paperwork. She looked back to her brother as Harvey also glanced down to her. "What is it?" he wondered.

"Something isn't right," she said to him. "That is not Jim. Jim never acts that manic."

"He said he had a bit of flu."

"Come on, Harvey," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "I know my brother and I know when he has the flu. He is not my brother. That is not my brother."

"Listen, Liv, he will be fine. He's just a bit manic. Take him home and let him rest. He'll be fine."

Olivia groaned as Harvey walked away and she looked back down to Jim. Nodding her head she went down to him and took him by the arm, telling him that they were going home. She wondered if he had been injected with something. There had to be something that was going on because this man was not the Jim she knew.

…

Olivia was making a salad for her and Jim. They were having a late lunch and she was convinced that her brother was not well. Doing her best to compose her thoughts, she wondered if he had been given something. Maybe that was what it was?

"Did they give you something, Jim?" Olivia wondered, sitting down across from him at the dining table. She arched her brow and waited for him to respond. He was devouring the salad and forgetting his manners while doing it. She watched him and he shook his head.

"No," he said. "What would they have given me?"

"I don't know," Olivia responded. "You just seem really manic, Jim. It's freaking me out."

"I'm fine, Olivia," he said to her.

"Yeah," she said, but she didn't sound convinced. She picked at the lettuce on her plate and leaned back in her chair. Folding one leg over the other, she tossed her hair back. "You know, I was thinking the other day how funny it was that we have never gone back to Chicago…it was our favourite city when we went travelling for the summer."

"Yeah," Jim said, laughing and nodding. "Chicago was great."

Olivia knew then that something was definitely wrong. They had never been to Chicago. They had been everywhere else, but not Chicago. She said nothing for a moment and they both ate in silence. Once they were finished, Olivia took hold of the plates and tidied up while Jim remained seated.

"Why don't you go and lie down?" she suggested. "If you are getting the flu then you need to rest."

"Yes," Jim said, sounding too enthusiastic. "I will go and get some rest."

Jim walked off down the corridor and Olivia watched him go. She shook her head and was about to grab her cell when she heard it begin to ring.

"Harvey?"

"Alfred came to the precinct. Bruce and-"

"-He is not Jim," Olivia said quickly, whispering so that he could not hear her. "Harvey, this is not Jim."

"Bruce and Lucius never got back to the Manor. I think something is going on."

"There is definitely something going on," Olivia agreed with that comment. "I asked him about our holiday in Chicago and all he did was no and agree with me how it had been great. We never went to Chicago, Harvey."

"Get out of there," Harvey demanded from her. "I'm going to send a squad down to your apartment to apprehend him, but I need you to get out of there."

"Consider me gone," Olivia said, hanging up the cell.

She grabbed hold of her jacket and gasped loudly at the sight of the man in the hallway. Jim was stood there. He had his hands balled into fists by his sides and he looked at Olivia with a darkened gaze. She looked back at him and he growled lowly.

"I wish you hadn't have answered that call," he said.

"Stay the hell away from me," Olivia demanded from him. "I know that you're not Jim. You're not my brother."

"I can't let you go anywhere," he said to her and Olivia dropped her jacket. She had to get around him to get to the door. How could she get away from him. He slammed the door to the hall shut behind him and advanced towards her. "I'm sorry, Olivia."

…

Jim didn't want to believe that there was a bomb underneath the Asylum, but Strange had confessed him. He had seen that man take transform to him and Strange had sent him away. He had made him leave and pretend to be Jim. The thought sickened Jim deeply, wondering if his sister would be able to see through it. Olivia knew him better than anyone. She would know if someone was pretending to be him. She wasn't stupid.

The bomb was due to go off in ten minutes, according to Strange. But Lucius had reminded him that there was radioactive material down in his secret lab. If the bomb went off near that then there would be trouble. There could be a radioactive cloud. Thousands of people would die. The only man who could get into the lab was Nygma. Of course it had to be Nygma. Selina had told him how Ed had tried to escape and he knew his way down there.

"Well, Jimmy," Nygma said when he saw him opening the door to his cell. "What do I owe this honour?"

"Get up," Jim demanded, grabbing Ed from where he was sat, noticing he was wearing a lab coat and shirt. Clearly he hadn't changed from when he had terrorised Bruce and Lucius, demanding to know what they knew about who ran Gotham for Strange. Of course, Strange never divulged why he wanted that information and Nygma hadn't had a chance to find out.

"You know the way down to the lab?" Jim demanded from him.

"Yes, of course I know the way, but what is with all this pulling?" Nygma snapped at him as sirens continued whirling.

"Just do it," Jim snapped, letting him go once they came to the end of the corridor.

Ed sighed and set about finding the hidden hatch that would take them down to the basement. "What do I get if I do it?" Ed wondered, about to hotwire the electrics to open the door. "You bust me out of here and I get Olivia?"

"You get to live," Jim snapped back, not willing to play his games.

The sirens continued blaring as the security was deactivated, the doors opening wide. Ed watched Jim and Lucius step into the elevator and his lips quirked upwards.

"I'll see you around, Jimmy boy."

"Wouldn't count on it."

Stepping into the elevator, Jim pressed the button to go down. Travelling down, they managed to find the bomb quite easily. But it only had one minute left on it. Jim's eyes widened and he looked to Lucius. "Any idea?" he asked from him.

"Erm…no," Lucius said. "I've never diffused a bomb before."

"Water," a voice croaked out and Jim recognised Peabody. "You need water."

"Yeah, water," Jim said as it if were obvious.

Him and Lucius quickly ran about trying to find the water. They managed to find some with thirty seconds to go and Jim stood over the bomb. Looking to Lucius, he nodded his head. They poured the water onto the bomb and it stopped its countdown on nine seconds, the two men breathing with relief that it had worked before Peabody asked for water for herself.

…

"We found Nygma roaming round," Harvey said, looking to Jim as he came out of the elevator. Nygma was apprehended, hands behind his back as two cops restrained him. "But, Jim…you need to get to the hospital."

Ed's ears pricked up as the two officers tried to force him back into his cell and he refused, digging his heels in. He wanted to know what had happened. Why would Jim have to go to the hospital? There would be only one person he would have to see and Ed knew that.

"Why?" Jim asked, but he knew why. His suspicions were already rearing their heads.

"The guys who was your clone," Harvey said, "I sent him home with your sister…she worked it out and he…he attacked her, Jim. She's in hospital."

"Is she okay?" Ed called out and the two officers stopped trying to force him into his cell as others stormed the place. Looking to Harvey, Ed's glasses fell down his nose and he felt himself begin to shake. "What clone? What happened to her?"

Jim felt a chill run down his spine. "Is she…"

"She's alive and they think they can stabilise her," Harvey confirmed to Jim. "I sent a squad car out and they found him with her. She had been stabbed in the stomach."

"She-"

"-She is none of your concern," Jim interrupted, pointing at Ed and shutting him up and then looking to Harvey. "A bus left this place and you need to stop it. It has some of the inmates on it…but I need to go…I need to go to the hospital."

"Yeah, of course," Harvey said and Jim ran off, Ed calling after him.

"You need to let me know if she is okay!" he shouted, but Jim ignored him, running down the corridors. "Jimbo! You have to tell me!"

Ed was forced back into his cell and Jim was out of sight, leaving the Asylum behind to go for the hospital and his sister.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


End file.
